The failed infiltration occurred in Hairan district, added the official, Saba news agency reported.
During the counterattack, the Yemeni army killed and injured dozens of the mercenaries, including commanders, and six military vehicles belonging to the mercenaries were also destroyed, he said.
The Saudi war on Yemen has so far killed thousands of civilians and destroyed the impoverished country’s infrastructure, exposing millions of people to starvation, lack of medicines and cholera outbreaks.
Some 8.4 million Yemenis are facing starvation as a result of the Saudi-led aggression, although the United Nations has warned that will probably rise to 14 million.
Three-quarters of impoverished Yemen’s population, or 22 million people, require aid.