Sanaa, Feb 5 (IANS): The Yemeni army has advanced into the northern district of Harad near the Saudi Arabian border, recapturing a military camp, a village, and a series of strategic mountains from the Houthi militia.

"The operation began at dawn with heavy support from warplanes of the Saudi-led Arab coalition backing the Yemeni government forces," a military source told Xinhua news agency late Friday.

The operation came simultaneously with another offensive launched by the Yemeni army to recapture districts in the oil-rich province of Marib.

Last month, the Houthi militia lost several districts in the southeastern province of Shabwa.

Yemen has been mired in a civil war since late 2014 when the Iran-backed Houthi militia seized control of several northern provinces and forced the internationally recognised government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi out of the capital Sanaa.

The war has killed tens of thousands of people, displaced 4 million, and pushed the country to the brink of famine.