Sanaa, Jun 18 (IANS): The Islamic State (IS) militant group said that it carried out four car bomb attacks against the Shiite Houthi group here in Yemen. The assault killed at least 18 people and wounded dozens.

IS said in a statement, posted on Twitter, on Wednesday that its soldiers used four car bombs -- one outside the office of the Houthi political bureau, the highest decision-making body, and the rest near three mosques where Houthi followers were praying.

Security sources told Xinhua that 18 Houthi supporters were killed while they were holding a ceremony, pertaining to the holy month of Ramadan, near the office, and dozens of people were wounded in the blasts at the mosques.

On March 20, IS suicide bombers attacked two mosques in Sanaa and in the northern Saada province, where the Houthi headquarters is located, killing at least 137 people. It was the deadliest attacks in Yemen for decades.

Yemen is home to the Sunni Al Qaeda offshoot, Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), which intensified attacks against the Shiite Houthi group since last September when the Houthis took over Sanaa and started to advance into the southern regions where AQAP is active.