The Saudi-led Arab military coalition on Saturday admitted responsibility for an air strike the previous day in the Yemeni capital that killed 14 civilians, describing it as a "technical mistake".

The coalition, in a statement carried by the official Saudi Press Agency, said that after a review of the strike investigators found "that a technical mistake was behind the accident".

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) denounced the loss of life as outrageous and put the death toll in the early morning attack on the Faj Attan area of Sanaa at 14, with 16 wounded.

Seven people from one family were among the dead including four children aged 10 and under, the ICRC said, adding that a total of three buildings in the residential area were hit.

The strike was the latest in a wave of deadly raids blamed on the Saudi-led coalition.

The Houthis and their ally, former president Ali Abdullah Saleh, control much of the north of the country, including Sanaa. Yemen's internationally recognized government is backed by the Saudi-led military alliance and is based in the south.

The United States and Britain provide arms and logistical assistance to the alliance for its campaign. The issue has caused controversy in Britain over the toll on civilians.

As well as striking military targets, air strikes have hit hospitals and ports, exacerbating the humanitarian crisis.

Some two million people have been displaced by the war, according to the United Nations, which on Friday reminded all parties to the war to respect international humanitarian law.