Sanaa, Nov 11 (IANS): The Houthi militia launched a ballistic missile attack against Yemen's strategic city of Mocha amid a visit of the UN envoy to the war-ravaged Arab country, a government official said.

Three explosions occurred as Hans Grundberg made his first visit to Mocha located on Yemen's western coast, the official told Xinhua news agency.

"The Houthi-fired ballistic missiles landed in a desert area and caused a great panic among civilians living in the populated areas nearby, but no casualties were recorded," he said.

The Iran-backed Houthi militia has made no comments on the incident.

On Monday, Grundberg and his team visited the southwestern province of Taiz, which was besieged by the Houthis, before he headed to Mocha.

In September, the Houthi rebel group launched attacks with missiles and drones against the Red Sea port of Mocha, causing huge explosions in the city, which was captured by the pro-government forces in 2017.

The Houthi rebels seized the northern Yemeni provinces, including the capital Sanaa, in late 2014, forcing President Abdu-Rabbu Mansour Hadi and his government into exile in Saudi Arabia.