Yemen's Houthi group on Saturday released 159 prisoners whom it described as having surrendered during recent fighting, under an amnesty issued by the group's leadership.

Axar.az reports, citing Xinhua, that Abdul Qader al-Murtada, head of the Houthis' prisoner affairs committee, announced the release at a press conference in the Houthi-held capital Sanaa.

Al-Murtada described the prisoners as fighters who had "voluntarily surrendered without fighting" during recent combats, without identifying the forces to which they belonged or specifying where they were captured.

He said the release was carried out under a general amnesty issued on Sept. 10 by Mahdi al-Mashat, head of the Houthi Supreme Political Council.

According to al-Murtada, Saturday's release was the second batch carried out under the amnesty, following the release of 323 prisoners in the Red Sea province of Hodeidah on Sept. 15. He said dozens of others had also been released in separate operations in Taiz province.

The released prisoners would be returned to their home areas and families in coordination with local authorities in their respective provinces, which would handle arrangements concerning their status, al-Murtada said.

The release comes amid renewed fighting between the Houthis and forces aligned with Yemen's internationally recognized government, which is backed by the Saudi-led coalition.

The warring sides have conducted several prisoner exchanges under UN-mediated agreements in recent years.

It should be noted that fighting continues in Yemen between the Houthis and forces of the Saudi-led coalition.