SANAA, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- Yemen's Houthi rebels announced on Saturday their capture of several sites from the Saudi-backed government in the eastern oil-rich province of Marib.

According to the Houthi-run al-Masirah TV, the rebels captured large swaths in Serwah district and advanced to the namesake capital city of the province.

The militias also progressed in Nehm district, which oversees the main road linking the rebel-held capital Sanaa and Marib city, the TV said.

However, the pro-government Almasdaronline reported that the rebels briefly seized two sites in Hilan mountains on Thursday before the government troops recaptured the two sites on Friday.

Both sides, however, said the fighting is raging on in Serwah, while the pro-government website said dozens were killed from both warring forces.

At midnight (2100 GMT) on Monday, the UN-sponsored cease-fire covering Hodeidah and the ports of Hodeidah, Salif and Ras Issa entered into force, as the first confidence-rebuilding measures between the Iran-allied Houthi rebels and the Saudi-backed government.

The U.S.-backed Saudi Arabia has been leading an Arab military coalition to support the Yemeni government against Houthi rebels since March 2015, after the Houthis forced President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi and his government into exile in Riyadh, the Saudi capital.