A total of five people were killed and 15 others injured as a result of a ballistic missile launched by the Houthi militia against Yemen's oil-rich province of Shabwa on Saturday, a security official said.

"The Houthi-fired ballistic missile landed on a mosque in Jardan district of Shabwa, causing a huge explosion in the area controlled by the government forces," the local security source said on condition of anonymity.

The mosque was partially destroyed by the attack, according to the official.

"The attack occurred when scores of newly-recruited pro-government soldiers were gathering to perform Maghrib prayers inside the mosque in Jardan," he said.

The mosque belongs to the pro-government forces stationed near a large oil field in Shabwa province, the official noted.

In January, a large-scale military operation was carried out by the southern Giants Brigades against the Houthis in Shabwa. The military campaign allowed the pro-government forces to fully capture the oil-rich province after days of intense battles.

Yemen has been mired in a civil war since the Houthi militia overran much of the country and seized all northern provinces, including the capital Sanaa, in 2014.

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