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About 200 fighters have been killed in fresh clashes near the strategic , military and medical sources said Tuesday, as the seven-year war witnesses a surge in violence.

More than 125 were killed in airstrikes by the and clashes with pro-government forces in Shabwa and Al-Bayda provinces, bordering Marib, medical sources told AFP.

The pro-government Giants Brigade, backed by and the also lost 70 fighters, Yemeni government sources said. The clashes took place over the past 24 hours.

The Saudi-led coalition has been fighting for nearly seven years in support of Yemen's government against the Houthis, in a conflict that has displaced millions and created the world's worst humanitarian crisis, according to the United Nations.

As hostilities escalated, the rebels on Monday said they had. The coalition insisted it was carrying medical supplies.

In September, the rebels intensified their efforts to take Marib, a provincial capital andÌýthe government's last northern stronghold.

Recent weeks have seen another spike with Saudi airstrikes on rebel territory multiplying, while the Houthis have ramped up missile and drone assaults on the kingdom.

Thirty-nine wounded arrived at Shabwa's Ataq hospital in just one day on Sunday, according to a team that arrived in late December.