An ongoing friction between Yemen's former president and the Houthis represents the first chance to break the political deadlock in Yemen, Dr Anwar Gargash, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs said.

Dr Gargash said a speech on Sunday by Saleh, which attacked the Houthi leader, "was a representation of conflict with the Houthi alliance."

"It represents a chance to break the political deadlock that has been brought by the Houthis," Gargash said on Twitter.

Saleh delivered a speech in response to the Houthi leader's speech a day earlier in which he accused unnamed parties of plotting against the Houthis.

Saleh began his alliance with the Houthis in 2014 when they seized the capital Sanaa from the internationally recognised government and sparked the devastating conflict.

A Saudi-led coalition has been fighting against the Houthis and Saleh's forces since March 2015 in support of president Abd Rabu Mansur Hadi.

-Agencies