Fighting overnight between the Yemeni government forces and Houthi rebels in Yemen's central province of Marib killed at least 11 fighters from both sides and wounded dozens others, a local government security official said Sunday.

"At least nine rebels and three soldiers were killed and dozens from both sides were wounded in the battle near the western district of Majzar," the official in Marib said on condition of anonymity.

Meanwhile, the Houthi group's al-Masirah TV reported that the Saudi-led military coalition in Yemen launched 14 airstrikes overnight on the Houthi positions in Majzar.

The coalition has made no comment on the allegation.

The Yemeni government has controlled much of Marib since it recaptured the province from the Houthis in late 2015.

Yemen has been mired in civil war since late 2014, when the Iran-backed Houthi rebels seized control of much of the country's north and forced the Saudi-backed government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi out of the capital Sanaa.

The Saudi-led coalition intervened in the Yemeni conflict in early 2015 to support Hadi's government.

The Yemeni five-year civil war has pushed more than 20 million to the brink of starvation.