Airstrikes on Yemen's northern province of al-Jawf killed at least seven civilians on Wednesday, residents and Yemeni Houthi rebels said.

The Houthi health ministry spokesman said in a Twitter post that airstrikes by a Saudi-led coalition hit residential houses, killing nine people including two children and two women. Two residents told Reuters that seven people had been killed.

There was no immediate comment from the coalition, which has been battling Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi movement for more than five years.

Yemen's war between the Iran-backed Houthis and pro-government troops escalated in March 2015 when the coalition intervened against the rebels, who control large parts of Yemen including the capital Sanaa.

Tens of thousands have been killed, an estimated 4 million displaced and 80% of the country's 29 million people are dependent on aid for survival.

The coronavirus pandemic is also raging unchecked in the country.