By Murad al-Arifi

TAIZ, Yemen

At least ten people were killed Sunday in the latest round of violence between government forces and Houthi rebels in south-western Yemen.

In a statement, the pro-government forces said seven Houthi militants were killed in clashes across the south-western Taiz city.

“A pro-government fighter was killed and three others were injured in the confrontations,” the statement said.

Meanwhile, two civilians were reportedly killed and two others injured when Houthi rebels shelled a residential district in eastern Taiz.

Yemen has been wracked by chaos since late 2014, when the Houthi rebels and their allies overran capital Sanaa and other parts of the country.

The conflict escalated in March of last year when Saudi Arabia and its Arab allies launched a major air campaign aimed at reversing Houthi gains and supporting Yemen’s Saudi-backed government.

Nearly 7,000 people have been killed in the Yemeni conflict -- more than half of them civilians -- while another three million are estimated to have been displaced amid a spread of malnutrition and disease.