Yemen, Sep 19 (IANS): Yemen's Houthi militia have publicly executed nine people for allegedly spying for Saudi Arabia.

The nine were brought by an armoured vehicle to al-Sabeen Square in the capital Sanaa and were put in a line in the middle of the square, reports Xinhua news agency.

Hundreds of Houthi supporters observed the execution on Saturday.

A representative of the Houthi security court read a verdict, accusing the nine of espionage that led to the killing of top militia leader Saleh al-Sammad in April 2018 by a Saudi-led coalition airstrike in the western port city of Hodeidah.

A Houthi security squad then shot them dead.

Yemen has been mired in a civil war since late 2014, when the Iran-backed Houthi militia seized control of much of the country's north and forced the Saudi-backed government of President Abd-Rabbuh Mansour Hadi out of Sanaa.

A Saudi-led Arab coalition intervened in the Yemeni conflict in March 2015 to support Hadi's government.

The seven-year war has killed tens of thousands of people, displaced 4 million and pushed the country to the brink of famine.