Aden, March 19 (IANS): Flights were halted on Thursday at Aden city's international airport after armed clashes erupted between the Yemeni security forces and tribal militias.

"Dozens of armed tribal militias allied with former president Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi engaged in armed confrontations with security forces near the Aden airport that forced the authorities to halt all flights," a military official told Xinhua news agency.

"The pro-Hadi tribal militias are attempting to take control of the airport along with some military bases by force and expel the security forces from the area," the official said.

Tensions in Aden escalated since February amid an escalating standoff between Hadi and the Special Security Forces leadership, which has sparked deadly clashes.

Hadi, who fled to Aden in late February after escaping a house arrest of the Shia Houthi militias that control the capital city of Sanaa, issued early this month after resuming his duties the first presidential decree which orders to sack a number of intelligence and security commanders in the city.

On February 6, the Shia Houthi group announced a unilateral move to dissolve Yemen's parliament and form a presidential council to take over power, which was rejected by Yemen's political parties and denounced by the Gulf Arab states.