ADEN, Yemen, July 21 (Xinhua) -- Yemen's Houthi rebel group attacked government-controlled areas on Thursday as the United Nations (UN) urged warring parties to extend the truce in the war-ravaged Arab country.

At least two soldiers of the government troops were killed and five others injured after the Houthi fighters launched several strikes against their bases in the besieged city of Taiz in southwestern Yemen in the past 48 hours, a local military source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

"The Houthis began launching artillery shelling against the troops in an attempt to take over the western part of Taiz," he said.

In Yemen's central province of al-Bayda, the Houthis have been randomly attacking the Khubzah village for the past 24 hours with heavy weapons, including tanks.

Yemen's Minister of Information Muammar Al-Eryani said the Houthis had "unjustly besieged" Khubzah village and shelled local residents' homes indiscriminately.

The Houthi attacks were strongly condemned by the Yemeni minister, who called the shelling "a fully-fledged war crime" that killed women and children and damaged property.

Five people were killed and at least 14 others were injured in the attack on Khubzah in the past 24 hours, according to local sources.

The Houthi shelling is still going on despite local tribal leaders' mediation to stop the attack, the sources told Xinhua.

The Houthi attacks came as UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg urged Yemeni factions to strengthen, fully implement and extend the UN-brokered truce beyond Aug. 2.

Grundberg, who has increased his engagement with the warring parties to ensure the implementation of the truce, said the number of fighters and civilian casualties had significantly decreased during the ceasefire despite verifiable reports of violations.

"An extended and expanded truce will increase the benefits to the Yemeni people. It will also provide a platform to build more confidence between the parties and start serious discussions on economic priorities, particularly on revenues and salaries, as well as security priorities, including a ceasefire," Grundberg said in a statement released on Thursday.

The Houthis have yet to comment on the attacks.

Since April 2, the warring parties in Yemen have entered a nationwide ceasefire. Although the truce has largely been upheld, the internationally recognized Yemeni government and the Houthi group frequently trade accusations of truce violations.

Yemen has been mired in a civil war since late 2014 when the Iran-backed Houthi militia seized control of several northern provinces and forced the Saudi-backed Yemeni government out of the capital Sanaa. The war has killed tens of thousands of people, displaced 4 million, and pushed the poor Arab country to the brink of starvation. Enditem

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