ADEN, Yemen -- At least 16 Yemenis were killed on Saturday in fierce clashes between government forces and the Houthi rebels in the southwestern province of Taiz, a security official told Xinhua.

A number of military units loyal to the government launched an attack on positions held by the Houthi rebels in the northern outskirts of Taiz, sparking fierce armed clashes, the local official said on condition of anonymity.

The source added that the clashes that followed the anti-Houthi attack resulted in the killing of three government soldiers and injuring several others.

But the government forces managed to expel the Houthi fighters from the area and seize control over the key military positions located there, he said.

Meanwhile, the state-run Saba News Agency reported that "more than 13 members of the Houthi militant group were killed during armed confrontations with the army forces in the northern part of Taiz."

The army units seized Jameem station and all the surrounding buildings after hours of clashes with the Houthis who withdrew from the area that was used as a key bastion for the rebel militias in Taiz's northern outskirts, Saba said.

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.