Clashes took place on Tuesday between the Yemeni army and the Huthi fighters in their northern stronghold, leaving dozens of killed and injured.

Clashes took place on Tuesday between the Yemeni army and the Huthi fighters in their northern stronghold,leaving dozens of killed and injured.

Agence France Presse quoted medical sources as saying that eleven soldiers and 14 Huthi fighters were killed, adding that dozens of combatants were also wounded in the gunfight that erupted on the western outskirts of Amran city.

Earlier a military source put the death toll at three soldiers.

Tensions remain high in Amran where Huthis have been trying to enforce their presence through armed parades and protests against the military.

Yemen is set to be divided into six federal regions, pushing out the fighters from their mountain strongholds in the far north to areas closer to the capital Sanaa.

The Huthis complain that Yemen would be divided into rich and poor regions under the plan agreed in February following national talks that were part of Yemen's political transition.

The Huthis have fought the central government in Sanaa for years, complaining of marginalization under former president Ali Abdullah Saleh, who was ousted in 2012 following a year of protests.