A new wave of fighting erupted between Yemen's government forces and the Houthi rebel militia in various areas of war-ravaged Yemen within the past 24 hours, a military official said.

"Scores of Houthi rebel gunmen carried out a large-scale attack and made an attempt to penetrate into the positions of the Southern Transitional Council (STC) troops in the northwestern areas of the country's southern province of Dhalea," the local military source said on condition of anonymity.

The military official based in Dhalea said the STC's troops, backed by the Saudi-led coalition, thwarted the Houthis' attack following several hours of ferocious battles.

"The battles are still going on but intermittently and seven soldiers, as well as 13 Houthi rebel gunmen, were confirmed to have been killed so far," the source added.

During the past several hours, the Aden-based STC, a powerful faction of the Yemeni government, dispatched elite military units to join the fighting against the Houthis in Dhalea, according to the official.

Meanwhile, an official of the Yemeni government told Xinhua anonymously that the fresh wave of fighting is threatening efforts exerted by the United Nations and regional countries, especially the United Arab Emirates, to renew a humanitarian truce and seek to end hostilities in the Arab world's poorest country.

Yemen has been mired in a civil war since late 2014 when the Iran-backed Houthi militia stormed several northern cities and forced the Saudi-backed Yemeni government out of the capital Sanaa.

The war has killed tens of thousands of people, displaced 4 million, and pushed the country to the brink of starvation.