SANAA: Clashes between Shiite rebels and government-allied tribesmen have killed at least 35 people and wounded 40 others in some of the fiercest fighting in months, a Yemeni security official said Sunday.

The rebels have been battling tribesmen from Yemen’s largest tribal confederation, the Hashid, which is backed by an army unit and allied with the Muslim Brotherhood’s Islah party. Houthis are backed by supporters from smaller tribes.

The official said Sunday 15 soldiers and 20 rebels were killed in two days of fighting that began Friday in and around the city of Amran, northwest of the capital, Sanaa.

National army units fought with the tribesmen and military warplanes struck the rebels who tried to attack a government compound late Saturday, the official said. He provided the information on condition of anonymity according to his department’s policies.