Sanaa, March 30 (IANS): Yemeni security forces in the city of Taiz that have allied themselves with the Shia Houthi militia and supporters of former President Ali Abdullah Saleh have rebelled, media reported on Sunday.

Members of the military police in Taiz -- Yemen's third largest city -- refused to head to Aden, where the country's President Abd-Rabbuh Mansour Hadi has been holding court since the Houthi takeover of capital Sanaa earlier this year, according to an Al Arabiya News report.

Yemen has been mired in deep political conflict since the Houthis seized power in early February, which worsened after the Yemeni president's flight to Aden.

More than a dozen countries have closed their embassies in Sanaa in protest against the Houthi takeover of Sanaa and for security concerns.

Warplanes of the 10-state coalition, led by Saudi Arabia, raided Sanaa on Sunday, as the "Decisive Storm" military operation in Yemen against the Houthi group entered the fourth day.