SANAA, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- At least 18 Houthi rebels were killed in overnight airstrikes by the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen's central province of Marib, a government military source said Wednesday.
"The militiamen were targeted when travelling on three pick-up vehicles in a road linking the western districts of Sirwah, Jabal Murad and Rahabah," the source in Marib told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.
Meanwhile, the Houthi-run al-Masirah TV reported four coalition airstrikes on Sirwah and Jabal Murad.
The Yemeni army on Tuesday recaptured the strategic mountain of Al-Bayadh in Rahabah district, days after pushing back the Houthi rebels from several other areas in the district.
The Houthis began in February a major offensive on Marib in an attempt to seize control of the oil-rich province.
The United Nations has warned that the offensive on Marib, which hosts nearly 1 million internally displaced people, could lead to a major humanitarian catastrophe.
Yemen's civil war flared up in late 2014 when the Houthi group seized control of much of the country's north and forced the internationally recognized government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi out of the capital Sanaa.
The Saudi-led Arab coalition intervened in the Yemeni conflict in March 2015 to support Hadi's government. Enditem
