As many as eight Houthi militants, including a leader, were killed in an ambush set up by unidentified gunmen in Al Jawf governorate in northern Yemen, a local source said in statements to Almasdar Online site.

The Houthis have arrived at the scene to move only the dead body of the leader, the source added.

The Houthi militants are controlling large swathes of Al Jawf governorate adjacent to their stronghold in Saada governorate.

Yemen has been rocked by months of fighting between the Houthis and loyalists of Yemeni President Abdrabu Mansur Hadi, supported by the Arab coalition, leaving thousands dead and 21 million people in need of urgent aid.