10 civilians killed in Saudi-led air raids

At least ten civilians were killed and several others injured when Saudi-led airstrikes hit residential buildings held by Shiite Houthi gunmen here on Thursday, a medical official told Xinhua.

"A house of a top Houthi commander was bombed by Saudi-led airstrikes in al-Jiraf district of Sanaa, killing at least 10 civilians who were gathering nearby and injuring several others," the medical official in Sanaa said on condition of anonymity.

Witnesses said the airstrikes hit Ibrahim Al-Shami's house in northern Sanaa which was in the middle of a densely populated area.

On Wednesday night, the Saudi-led coalition started airstrikes targeting houses of Houthi Shiite leaders and officials loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh.

In Yemen's southern province of Taiz, the coalition intensified air bombings against Houthi-controlled military sites.

Earlier in the day, Houthi fighters and pro-government forces started battles near the presidential palace in Taiz city, the provincial capital, leaving several people killed from both sides.

Yemeni Prime Minister Khaled Bahah and his cabinet returned to Aden city on Wednesday, and announced that the cabinet would resume work in this temporary capital.

He pledged to restore stability to Aden and neighbouring southern provinces that were taken from the Shiite Houthi militia.

Yemen, an impoverished Arab country, has been engulfed in war between the Shiite Houthi group supported by army units loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh and the Saudi-backed government forces.

In late March, the Saudi-led coalition began airstrikes against the Houthi group in Yemen at the request of exiled Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.

The campaign aims to prevent the Houthis from seizing power in Yemen, as Saudi Arabia claimed the Shiite group is backed by Iran.