The team, which was led by ambassador Mohammed Al-Jaber, departed rebel-held Sanaa late on Thursday, four days after he arrived seeking to “stabilise” a truce that lapsed last year.

“There is an initial agreement on a truce that should be announced later on if finalised,” a Huthi official said on condition of anonymity, in information that was confirmed by a government source.

“There is an agreement to hold another round of talks to further dicuss points of difference.”

The Huthis seized control of the capital Sanaa in September 2014, ousting the internationally recognised government and triggering the Saudi-led intervention the following March.

Hundreds of thousands of people have been killed, directly or indirectly, and two-thirds of the country of 30 million is dependent on aid, according to United Nations estimates.

Fighting has eased dramatically since a six-month, UN-brokered truce last year, even after it expired in October.