AT LEAST 17 people travelling to a religious ceremony in north of Yemen have been killed by a car bomb.

The attack was aimed at Houthi rebel supporters, a separatist group of Shia Muslims within the country. The festival of al-Shadeer being celebrated by those in the procession is not recognised by Yemen’s majority Sunni Muslims.

Al Jazeera reports that the attack comes amid simmering tensions in north Yemen between Houthi rebels and the authorities.

There has been a fragile ceasefire in place between the Houthis and the government since January, however the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) warned earlier this week that there had been an “alarming escalation” in fighting recently.

There has been speculation that al-Qaeda or another Sunni Muslim group may have carried out the attack, the BBC reports.

In a statement, the Houthis claimed that “ethnic and sectarian divisions” created by the US and Israeli influence within the county was to be blamed for the attack.