Yemeni army said on Monday it killed five Shiite rebels and wounded several others in the old city of Saada in northern Yemen, Xinhua quoted al-Jazeera TV as reporting.
   Military sources said the army forces fought from street to street with the Houthi rebels in the old city. The insurgents exchanged fire with the army forces from houses they were sheltered in, according to the unidentified sources.
   Local sources said the army took control of several areas from the militants who targeted a building in the old city used as a meeting hall for chieftains.
   Eyewitnesses said a number of citizens have been killed or wounded in fierce battles between the two sides in other areas. However, there are no precise reports about the casualties.
   Meanwhile, the Yemeni air forces shelled the strongholds of rebels in the mountainous areas of Saada, while the army continued rocking the rebels' hideouts in these areas with heavy artillery.
   The Yemeni army said in a statement published on the official website of Yemeni Defense Ministry on Saturday that it killed more than 20 rebels in separate clashes with the rebel group.