DUBAI: Shiite rebels battling government forces in north Yemen said on Tuesday they want an independently monitored ceasefire, as hostilities resumed after a brief lull in the fighting.

"Because of the lack of confidence between the two parties, we have asked that an independent local committee supervise a ceasefire on the ground," rebel spokesman Mohammad Abdessalam told AFP by telephone.

"We want the war to stop ... It is not in our interest for it to continue," he said of "Operation Scorched Earth," unleashed by Yemen's military on August 11 and aimed at eradicating the rebellion in the mountainous north.

The spokesman for the Zaidi rebels, who are also known as Huthis, accused Sanaa of "beating about the bush" following the weekend failure of a government-announced suspension of military operations that quickly broke down.

Since the beginning of the month the government has announced two separate ceasefires, which on both occasions lasted just a few hours. Each side blamed the other for the resumption of hostilities.

The main government demand is that the rebels "respect the ceasefire and the opening of roads, evacuate their positions and free captured civilians and soldiers."

But Abdessalam said the offensive must stop first.

"As soon as the authorities halt their operations, we will be disposed to realistically examine all aspects of the conflict," which first erupted in 2004, he said.

Tense calm on Monday boiled over into fighting on Tuesday in Saada province, the heartland of the rebellion. It centred on Malaheez and Bakem near the border with Saudi Arabia, as well as at Harf Sufyan in Amran province to the south, Adessalam said.

An unidentified military official confirmed in a statement posted on the defence ministry's Internet site that the clashes were continuing.

"The rebels are pressing their attacks on military positions and against civilians ... at Harf Sufyan and in Saada province," he said.

The same website quoted a local official as saying 13 rebels were killed in a clash near Saada town.