The Yemeni government's army Sunday killed more than 150 Shiite rebels in Saada province in northern Yemen, a local official said.

According to a military source, more than 150 rebels were killed during the clashes with the Yemeni army when they tried to take the governmental headquarters from three directions.

This comes after a fragile truce declared on Friday by the Yemeni authorities. The government said the ceasefire would become a permanent one if the Houthi rebels stop subversion and insurgency activities and observe the government conditions.

The rebel leader Abdel Malik al-Houthi said they would form a committee to oversee the ceasefire conditions, but clashes erupted again hours later.

Fares Manna, the head of the presidential commission to bring peace in Saada, accused Houthi rebels of violating the ceasefire and not adhering to the announced conditions.

In its statement, the government set the conditions that the rebels should observe ceasefire, open roads, withdraw from the district, not interfere in the affairs of local authority, release detained civilian and military personnel and commit to the constitution and laws.

(Xinhua News Agency September 21, 2009)