A supporter of Yemen's Shiite Houthi rebels, wears a bandana with with an Arabic inscription that reads, "at your service Hussein," as he attends festivities marking the holy day of Ashoura, in Sanaa, Yemen, Aug 19, 2021. (PHOTO / AP)

SANAA - An Omani delegation arrived in Yemen's rebel-held capital Sanaa on Thursday in a bid to persuade the Houthi group to accept a UN proposal for resuming a truce with the Yemeni government, Houthi-run al-Masirah TV reported.

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The delegation was scheduled to hold talks with top Houthi leaders in the coming hours, the television channel said, without elaborating further.

The Houthis have been facing increasing pressure as civil servants in Houthi-controlled areas have rallied to claim their overdue salaries. The Houthis say their salaries must be paid by the internationally recognized government, which controls the oil resources

The previous truce, which was brokered by the United Nations, lasted for six months and expired in October last year. However, fightings between Houthi rebels and pro-government forces have largely abated on several frontlines in the absence of a truce.

The United Nations (UN) Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg has called on rival Yemeni parties to refrain from making war threats, saying such rhetoric could hinder peace efforts to end the conflict.

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"This rhetoric is not conducive to maintaining a fruitful mediation environment," the UN Thursday quoted the envoy as saying in a statement posted on X, the social media platform previously known as Twitter.

Despite "intermittent fighting" in the six frontlines he mentioned, Grundberg said hostilities have not returned to their pre-truce levels after the truce expired in October last year. He cited this as a positive indicator for the peace process.

The Omani delegation's visit comes at a time when the Iranian foreign minister is visiting Riyadh to push for the peace process in Yemen.

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The Houthis have been facing increasing pressure as civil servants in Houthi-controlled areas have rallied to claim their overdue salaries. The Houthis say their salaries must be paid by the internationally recognized government, which controls the oil resources.

Yemen has been mired in a deadly civil war since the Iran-backed Houthi group seized control of several northern provinces and forced the Saudi-backed Yemeni government out of the capital Sanaa.

The war has killed tens of thousands of people, displaced 4 million, and pushed the country to the brink of collapse.