"The Houthi rebels fired a ballistic missile against the Amajed army base located in the district of Lawdar, northeast of Abyan, causing a huge explosion in the area," the local security source said on condition of anonymity.

The security source said that "initial information indicated that around 3 soldiers were killed and nearly 15 others injured as a result of the Houthi attack."

Most of the injured soldiers were in critical health condition and transferred immediately to receive treatment at a nearby hospital, according to the source.

The Iran-allied Houthi rebels claimed no responsibility for launching a missile attack against the government forces in Abyan so far.

Military bases of the Yemeni government forces are frequently targeted by Houthi-fired ballistic missiles in different areas of the country.

On Jan. 18, the Houthi rebels launched a ballistic missile against a military base of the newly-recruited Yemeni forces in the northern province of Marib, 170 km east of the capital Sanaa.

According to Yemeni medical sources, the Houthi attack that struck a mosque at a military camp of the newly-recruited forces in Marib left more than 111 soldiers killed and nearly 151 others injured.

Yemen has been mired in a civil war since late 2014 after the Houthi group stormed much of the country's north and forced the internationally-recognized government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi out of the capital Sanaa.

The United Nations has been trying to end the war that has killed tens of thousands of people and pushed the country to the brink of famine.