At least 17 fighters of the Houthi rebel group were killed, including two field commanders, and dozens of others injured in clashes with Yemeni government forces in the southwestern province of Taiz on Wednesday.

The country's state-run Saba News Agency reported that "the national army units attacked the Houthi military positions located on the eastern and western fronts of Taiz province, causing heavy casualties among the rebel group fighters."

The Yemeni government forces heavily shelled the Houthi-held position, destroying a number of military vehicles and heavy machine guns belonging to the rebels, Saba said.

The Yemeni news agency clarified that "eight members of the Houthi militias were killed during clashes in the city's east part, while seven others were killed in the western front, including snipers, and dozens injured by army's artillery shelling."

Two other field commanders of the Houthi rebel group were killed in an ambush set up by the government forces in the countryside of Hifan south of Taiz, according to Saba.

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 parts of Taiz since April 2015.

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

The civil war has killed more than 10,000 people, mostly civilians, displaced 3 million others, and pushed Yemen to the brink of famine.