SANAA 

Saudi-led coalition warplanes on Wednesday bombed military sites belonging to Shiite Houthi militant group and allied troops loyal to former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh near the border with Saudi Arabia, eyewitnesses said.

According to the witnesses, the coalition's fighter jets have bombed several sites in northern Yemen's Saada province, considered the Houthis' main stronghold in Yemen.

It remains unclear whether the attacks have left any casualties or material damage.

The Saudi-led coalition, for its part, is yet to comment on the strikes.

A week ago, Saudi Arabia and its Arab allies have started pounding Houthi positions across Yemen.

Riyadh says the strikes are in response to appeals by embattled President Abd Rabbu Manshour Hadi to "save the [Yemeni] people from the Houthi militias."

Fractious Yemen has remained in turmoil since last September, when the Houthis overran capital Sanaa, from which they have sought to extend their influence to other parts of the country.

Some Gulf countries accuse Shiite Iran of supporting Yemen's Houthi insurgency.