ARMED Shi'ite rebels have shelled Yemen's state-run television building in Sana'a and hundreds of residents fled in a dramatic escalation of violence after weeks of fighting and protests in the capital.

The Houthi fighters pushed into Sana'a after clashing with the army on the outskirts of the capital on Thursday. Residents said the rebels were advancing along Thalatheen Street, a major route into the western edge of Sana'a.

One military source said around 70 Houthi fighters were killed in fighting overnight and residents said dozens of bodies were scattered in the north and northwest of the capital where the clashes took place.

The fighting was creeping closer to the home of president Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi. The rebels started firing mortars at the state-owned television channel building in Sana'a on Thursday night and the shelling continued yesterday.