Troops loyal to Yemen's embattled president, Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi, said Sunday they were advancing on the rebel-held capital of Sana'a as peace talks among the war-ravaged rivals were set to end in Switzerland.
Government troops and allied militiamen have seized a military base from Houthi rebels in the district of Nihm on the outskirts of Sana'a, a pro-Hadi fighter said.
"The National Army and Resistance are progressing towards the other posts held by the Houthis and their allies in Nihm," he told dpa.
Nihm is around 40 kilometres from Sana'a, with rugged mountains separating them.
The reported advance comes after Hadi loyalists tightened their control earlier in the week on the province of Mareb, around 173 kilometres north-east of Sana'a after months of fighting.
The Houthis have controlled Sana'a for more than a year now in a devastating power struggle against the Saudi-backed Hadi government.
Sana'a has been the target of airstrikes by a Saudi-led military coalition that started an air campaign against the rebels in Yemen nearly nine months ago.
Fresh alliance strikes hit a rebel military facility in southern Sana'a on Sunday, causing unspecified casualties and damage, according to local residents.
Two rockets fired by the Houthis from Sana'a exploded in the air before reaching their targets among pro-Hadi forces, the residents added.
There was no comment from the rebels.
A week-long ceasefire in Yemen has repeatedly been breached since it started on Tuesday, with warring sides blaming each other for violations.
The truce was aimed at consolidating UN-sponsored peace talks, which had also begun on Tuesday, among Yemeni rivals with the aim of ending the impoverished country's conflict.
The negotiations are expected to end later on Sunday without progress, the Saudi-owned Al Arabiya TV reported.
Since March, Saudi Arabia and fellow partners have carried out airstrikes in Yemen against the mostly Shiite rebels, who are fighting to oust Hadi.
This article has been modified from the source material.
