On Wednesday, the Houthis rejected a joint statement by 10 states, including that of Arab countries and the permanent members of the UN Security Council, and called on the 10 countries sponsoring the initiative to complete the political transition process.

The Houthis told the ten countries' ambassadors to adhere to the will of the Yemeni nation.

The Shia protesters said they wanted the government to cancel a decision to increase gas and diesel prices and take measures to fight corruption.

Yemeni President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi called for dialogue in an attempt to ease the tensions and invited the Houthi representatives to join a "unity government."

Yemen’s Shia Houthi movement draws its name from the tribe of its founding leader Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi.

The Houthi movement played a key role in the popular revolution that forced former dictator Ali Abdullah Saleh to step down.

Saleh, who ruled Yemen for 33 years, stepped down in February 2012 under a US-backed power transfer deal in return for immunity, after a year of mass street demonstrations demanding his ouster.

NT/MAM/MHB