The Houthi insurgents have taken control of a crossing on the Yemeni-Saudi border near the district of Razeh, Saada, which saw fierce battles between the rebels and the army over the last few days.

The outlet was named as Hebra and the rebels took over it after they earlier seized the district and forced the troops out.

The soldiers who fled to the crossing were said to have sheltered to Saudi lands and others to the Haradh crossing, the News Yemen reported quoting eyewitnesses.

On the other hand, a spokesman for the Houthi was quoted as saying that military rocket attacks on the district left more than 31 dead, most children and women.

The bodies of 31 have been recovered and others remained under the rubble caused by many air raids, Mohammed Abdul Salam said, adding about 20 people were seriously injured.

We took necessary measures to treat those hurt according to our medical capabilities, he said, warning the humanitarian situation in the areas is critical.

He said that they can make it easy for the media to come into the district and report on what he described were war crimes by the army.

The spokesman for the government, however, refused to answer calls to comment on these accounts, the website reported.

On Thursday, about 15 civilians were killed in a misdirected airstrike in the district and there was no official comment on the incident, the third since the army launched an offensive against the Houthis in August.

Many rebels were killed and arrested as the troops continued to battle the Houthi insurgents in the northern provinces of Saada and Amran, according to official reports.