Sanaa, Jun 14 (IANS): The government in Yemen announced that five soldiers were killed and 15 others injured by the Houthi militia despite the ongoing UN-brokered truce in the war-torn nation.

According to a statement released by the Defence Ministry, "the Houthi militia committed 185 breaches of the truce brokered by the UN during the past 72 hours in various areas of Yemen", reports Xinhua news agency.

The statement said that the Houthi breaches included attacking the sites of the government forces with shells and rockets as well as using explosive-laden drones.

Earlier on Monday, a large explosion caused by a Houthi-fired ballistic missile rocked the government-controlled oil-rich province of Marib.

No official comment has been issued by the local authorities, but media reports indicate that no one has been injured as a result of the explosion so far.

The warring parties in Yemen have started to observe a nationwide ceasefire since April 2.

Although the truce has been broadly kept, there are frequent accusations of breaches traded between the internationally recognized government and the Houthi group.

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 Saudi-backed government out of Sanaa.

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