A military source told the official Saaba news agency that 'several rebels were killed' as the army struck rebel gatherings in Saada province and Harf Sufian district of neighbouring Amran province.

Saada, some 240 km north of Sanaa, has been the centre of fierce fighting between the rebels, known as Houthis, and government troops since the army launched a massive offensive on their strongholds Aug 11.

Both sides continue claiming to have inflicted heavy casualties over the last five weeks, but none of the claims have been independently verified, with the media denied access to the restive province.

Officials said the offensive will only end when all insurgents surrender or are killed.

This is the latest flare-up in the fighting that has raged on and off since the Houthis revolt began in mid-2004.

Authorities accuse the Shia group of seeking to restore the rule of the Zaydi royal family, which was toppled by a republican revolution in 1962 in northern Yemen.

The Houthis say they are in revolt against government corruption and the Yemeni alliance with the United States.