17 killed in clashes near Yemeni-Saudi border

Sanna: At least 17 fighters were killed from both pro and anti-government forces in a fierce battle that erupted on Friday evening in northern Yemen.

Around 10 Houthi rebels and seven government soldiers were killed in the clashes on a front line in Yemen's northern border province of Jawf, Xinhua reported.

Four other soldiers were wounded and several military vehicles were also damaged in the fighting, which occurred after Houthi rebels launched a fierce attack on government military positions in Akabah and Mizlak areas.

"The soldiers managed to repel the rebels' attack," a source said on condition of anonymity.

The targeted government-held positions are located south of Sha'af district north of the province. 

The district is the key front line between rival forces after the government forces, backed by a Saudi-led coalition, advanced last year from near Saudi southern border in an attempt to recapture the rebel-held province.

Tension remains high in this region, which witnesses deadly battles almost on a daily basis.

Yemen's internationally-backed government has been battling Iran-backed Shiite Houthi rebels for more than two years over the control of the country.

The Saudi-led coalition began a military air campaign in March 2015 to roll back Houthi gains and reinstate exiled President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi and his government to the power.

The coalition also imposed air and sea blockade to prevent weapons from reaching Houthis, who had invaded the capital Sanaa militarily and seized most of the northern Yemeni provinces.

The war has killed more than 10,000 people, most of them civilians, and displaced around 3 million, according to UN agencies.

The impoverished Arab country is also suffering the world's largest cholera epidemic since April, with about 5,000 cases reported every day.