Sanaa, May 2 (IANS): Yemen's Houthi rebels said "airstrikes by the Saudi-led coalition" on Saturday hit trucks carrying imported food and medicine in the central province of Bayda.

Three drivers were injured as the shipments owned by local traders burned to the ground, Xinhua news agency quoted the Houthi-run al-Masirah TV as saying.

The strikes took place when the trucks were awaiting at a "customs office" established recently by the Houthi militia in Afra area northeast of Bayda, according to the local residents.

Afra area is near a frontline between the Yemeni warring forces.

However, there was no confirmation yet from the coalition.

Yemen has been mired in civil war since late 2014 when the Iran-backed Houthi rebels seized control of much of the country's north and forced the internationally-recognized government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi out of Sanaa.

The Saudi-led coalition intervened in the Yemeni conflict in early 2015 to support Hadi's government.

The Yemeni five-year civil war has pushed over 20 million to the brink of starvation.