Yemen's Huthi rebels said Monday that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken's comment on supporting a Yemen free from foreign influence was "positive" but needed to be backed by actions.

Washington has already halted support to the Saudi-led military coalition which is backing the Yemeni government against the Iran-backed Huthi rebels in a devastating civil war.

"Blinken's comments on Yemen being free from foreign influence were positive," tweeted Huthi political commander Mohammed Ali al-Huthi.

"We are waiting for action to withdraw American elements and experts from the battle and to neutralise American weapons and withdraw them from the confrontation.

"This is what we're looking for and what would be consistent with the comments."

On Sunday, State Department spokesman Ned Price said Blinken highlighted during a call with UN's Yemen envoy Martin Griffiths that the "United States supports a unified, stable Yemen free from foreign influence, and that there is no military solution to the conflict".

Yemen has been embroiled in a bloody power struggle since 2014 between its Saudi-backed government and the Huthi rebels who control the capital Sanaa and most of the north.

The grinding conflict has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced millions more, triggering what the United Nations describes as the world's worst humanitarian crisis