A landmine explosion in Yemen's Red Sea coastal city of Hodeidah killed three civilians on Thursday, a military official from the Yemeni government told said.

The official, who preferred not to be named, accused the Houthi rebels of placing the landmine when they controlled the area.

The official also said the Houthi rebels fired four Katyusha rockets at a residential block in south Hodeidah, causing terror and fear among the residents.

The port city of Hodeidah, a vital lifeline for millions facing starvation, has seen a shaky cease-fire between the government and the Houthi rebels since they reached an UN-sponsored truce in Stockholm in December 2018.

The truce was seen as the first phase toward a nationwide cease-fire to end Yemen's civil war.

Hodeidah is under the control of the Iran-backed Houthis, while the government forces have advanced to the southern and eastern districts. Both sides have been blaming each other for truce breaches and sporadic military escalation.

Yemen has been mired in civil war since late 2014 when the Houthi militia seized control of several northern provinces and forced the internationally-recognized government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi out of the capital Sanaa.