The fighting comes as the Yemeni forces have been pushing to liberate Ma’rib, the last northern stronghold of Saudi-backed militants and the capital of an oil-rich region.
The army and Houthi Ansarullah movement attempt to seize control of the gas-rich city, the last stronghold of the Saudi-backed militants in the region.
Last week, the Yemeni forces took control of Homma al-Hajily district and moved the battle to al-Touma al-Olia and al-Touma al-Sofla, just five kilometers from the headquarters of Third Military District which belongs to militants loyal to former Riyadh-backed president Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi.
On Monday, Lebanon’s al-Mayadeen television network cited a Yemeni ministry as saying that the armed forces are tightening their grip on al-Balaq al-Qebali mountain range, which overlooks the Ma’rib Dam to the north and Tala al-Hamra in Sarwah district to the west of Ma’rib.
Saudi Arabia, backed by the US and its other regional allies, launched a devastating war on Yemen in March 2015, with the goal of bringing the government of Yemen's former president back to power and crushing the popular Houthi Ansarullah movement.
The offensive and a simultaneous siege that the invaders have been imposing on the country have led to the death of hundreds of thousands of Yemenis.