Sana'a, Yemen  - Yemen's Defence Ministry on Saturday accused Shiite rebels in the north-western province of Saada of executing six women and 11 children after the collapse of a shaky truce.

The rebels, known as Houthis, have "executed six women and 11 children in a heinous way in Dhwaib village of the Haidan district," the ministry said on its website.

It quoted a local official in Saada, some 240 kilometres north of Sana'a, as saying that the rebels "raided the village and shot the women and children to death allegedly for cooperating with the government forces."

It also accused the Houthis of looting houses in the village, and kidnapping children and forcing them to join their ranks.

Meanwhile, the ministry said government forces held off a rebel attack on Army barracks in al-Samma, Sahar district, north of Saada and captured two of their field commanders late Friday.

The attack took place following the collapse of a brief ceasefire ordered by the government Friday to humanitarian relief agencies access to the fighting areas.

The government blamed the rebels for breaking the truce that ended in three hours.

Fighter jets resumed air strikes on rebel positions in several areas in Saada on Saturday, according to local sources.

Saada, on the border with Saudi Arabia, has been the scene of a massive military offensive on the Houthis since August 11.

Authorities accuse the Shiite group of seeking to restore the rule of the Zaydi royal family, who were toppled by a republican revolution in 1962 in northern Yemen.

The Houthis say they are revolting against government corruption and the Yemeni alliance with the United States. (dpa)