Sanaa - MENA
Yemeni warplanes launched air strikes against the strongholds of Houthis in Omran province in northern the country, local sources said.
The raids are part of the ongoing confrontations between the Yemeni army and the Houthis that left till Monday seven army soldier and 18 militants dead.
As well as the fighting in Omran, where the Shi'ite tribal militia is trying to cement its control over the northern highlands, Yemen is facing a threat from al Qaeda and a challenge from separatists in the south.
Clashes have repeatedly erupted in the past months between government troops and Houthis - named after the Shi'ite tribe of the leaders of the rebellion - as Sanaa struggles to restore nationwide control.
The Houthis blame elements of the Sunni Muslim Islah party in the military and in the Omran regional administration for the fighting.