Houthi rebel fighters launched an attack against sites of the government forces in Yemen's southern province of Dhalea on Saturday, a military official told Xinhua.

"Scores of Houthi fighters launched a large armed attack against a number of military sites of the government forces positioned near Qataba district in Dhalea," a local military official said on condition of anonymity.

The Houthi attack sparked intense armed confrontations in the area, the source said, adding that the ongoing confrontations between the two warring sides caused an unknown number of casualties.

Attacks of the Houthi rebel group against military sites of the government forces in the country's southern part have been intensified during the past days.

The areas in the north and west of Dhalea, 138 km north of Aden, have been witnessing non-stop fighting between government forces and Houthi fighters for about four years.

Yemen has been plagued by a civil war since late 2014 when the Houthi militias forced the internationally-recognized government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi into exile.

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