They were killed after their attempt to take back the control of the strategic Jabal al Doud district of Jizan from Yemeni forces was thwarted, the ministry said on Friday.

Yemen's al-Masirah television also said the army and its allied forces fired a missile into an airport in Jizan, with no immediate word on possible damage or casualties.

Elsewhere in Ma’rib Province, Yemeni ground forces advanced against Saudi-led forces in the Sarvah district, while Saudi warplanes bombed two areas to the west.

In Yemen's second city of Aden, at least six militants loyal to fugitive former president Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi were killed in an attack in the al Basateen district on Friday.

Masked assailants attacked a militant outpost before fleeing, a source told the AFP news agency. The attack came a day after three pro-Saudi militants were killed in the southern port city.

Pro-Saudi forces backed by airstrikes, however, seized control of a military camp 60 km (40 miles) from Sana'a on Thursday, local officials and residents said.

Battles between Saudi-led forces and Houthi Ansarullah fighters left a number of people dead and wounded, they said without giving precise figures.

Saudi Aircraft carried out dozens of strikes during the battles for the camp, located on one of the defense lines for the capital, they added; Press TV reported.

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