Yemeni government forces say they have killed another 59 fighters in their battle against Zaidi Shi'ite rebels near the northern city of Saada.

The government Monday said it repelled a rebel attack on the northern outskirts of the city and "made major progress" in expelling the rebels from Saada province. But a Zaidi Shi'ite Web site said its forces inflicted casualties on government fighters.

Clashes between Yemeni government forces and Zaidi Shi'ite rebels (led by Abdemalik al-Houthi) continue to rage across the mountainous province as both sides struggle to gain control of the area. 

The editor-in-chief of the Yemen Post newspaper, Hakim Almasmari, says there is continuous fighting in 15 locations in Saada and Amran.

The United Nations estimates that about 150,000 people have been displaced by the conflict.

The rebels, largely influenced by Iranian Shi'ites, have been fighting since 2004 against what they say is oppression and discrimination by the government.

In another development, a United Nations refugee agency spokesman, Andrew Knight, says there has been yet another delay in delivering aid to refugees.

On Sunday, an aid convoy that had been held at the Saudi border was able to transfer its goods to its relief partners' trucks. Knight had expected that the supplies would be distributed Monday, but he says technical issues have forced workers to delay the distribution for at least another day.