At least 11 members of the Houthi rebel group were killed by pro-government Yemeni forces in the country's southwestern province of Taiz on Tuesday, a military official said.

The local official said on condition of anonymity that "intense armed confrontations erupted between the Houthis and pro-government troops in the eastern part of Taiz."

He said that the fighting left nearly 11 Houthi fighters killed including "a mid-level commander" of the rebel group.

"The pro-government troops managed to make military progress following the confrontations that lasted for hours in the area," he added.

No information, however, was given about casualties among the pro-government soldiers.

The Yemeni government forces, backed by the Saudi-led coalition, have been locked in clashes with the Iran-allied Houthi rebels in the north, east and west of Taiz since April 2015.

Yemen has been mired into a civil war since late 2014, when Houthis overran much of the country and seized all northern provinces, including the capital Sanaa.