Eight military vehicles were destroyed and 60 rebels killed in 11 operations over 24 hours to hunt down rebels, it said in a statement carried by the official Saudi Press Agency.

It said the operations were carried out in Sirwah to the west of Marib and Al-Jawf province to the north.

The coalition has reported high death tolls on a near daily basis by the coalition, amounting to over 3,000 deaths among the rebels since mid-October.

The Iran-back Shia Houthis rarely comment on casualties, which cannot be independently verified.

A Yemeni military official said Wednesday that 28 fighters from the pro-government Obaida tribe and seven government forces were killed in clashes with rebels south of Marib over the previous 24 hours.

A military official in the government said last week that the Houthis have made advances in the south.

The rebels have intensified their efforts to capture Marib since September after a lull in their advance which began February.

The capture of the strategic oil-rich city would aid the Houthis' expansion to other provinces, marking a major blow to the coalition.