Six bodyguards to Yemen's defence minister were killed Wednesday when their vehicle hit a landmine east of the capital Sanaa, in a blast that left the official unhurt, a ministry source said.
The Yemen government -- backed by a Saudi-led military coalition -- has been battling Iran-bached Huthi rebels since 2014, when the insurgents seized control of Sanaa.
Defence Minister General Mohammed Ali al-Maqdishi was in Marib province on Wednesday visiting one of the main frontlines.
"A vehicle accompanying that of the defence minister was struck by an explosion," a defence ministry source told AFP, adding that six of his guards were killed.
"Nothing happened to the minister," the source said.
Loyalist military officials said late January that the Huthis had made gains against government troops north and east of the capital, seizing a strategic road.
The road connects Sanaa to the provinces of Marib, to the east, and Jawf in the north.
Before the latest upsurge in fighting, Jawf province had
