A well-placed Yemeni official loyal to the Houthi group was shot dead Thursday in Hadhramaut governorate, the Houthi-controlled Saba news agency reported.

The attackers targeted the car of Saleh Ghalib, killing him and one of his companions.

Yemen has been engulfed in conflicts between Houthis and the government forces since early 2015.

In late March, a Saudi-led coalition of Arab states began launching airstrikes against Houthi positions in Yemen at the request of Yemeni President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi.

According to the United Nations, some 3,000 Yemenis have been killed since March and over 21 million are in need of humanitarian aid as a result of the armed conflict in the country.