ADEN, Yemen, Jan. 10 (Xinhua) -- The High-ranking military commanders of Yemen's internationally-backed government, including the army's chief of staff, were injured on Thursday in a deadly drone attack launched by the Houthi group in southern province of Lahj, a security official told Xinhua.

The security source based in the province said that a drone belonging to the Houthis targeted a military parade at the Anad air base in Lahj, causing injuries among the leaders who attended the ceremony.

The leader of Yemen's military intelligence agency and the governor of Lahj were injured by the Houthi attack, according to the source.

All the injured were transferred to the public hospitals in Lahj to receive treatment.

A medical official confirmed to Xinhua that around 20 were injured as a result of the Houthi drone attack against the pro-government military air base in Lahj.

The Houthi-affiliated Masirah television network claimed responsibility for targeting the Saudi-backed Yemeni government military parade, but mentioned no details.

The impoverished Arab country has been locked in a civil war since the Iranian-backed Shiite Houthi rebels overran much of the country militarily and seized all northern provinces, including the capital Sanaa, in 2014.

Saudi Arabia leads an Arab military coalition that intervened in Yemen in 2015 to support the government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi after Houthi rebels forced him into exile.

The United Nations has listed Yemen as the world's top humanitarian crisis, with 7 million citizens on the brink of famine.