UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg on Thursday warned against attempts to take the advantage of the current truce in Yemen to prepare for escalation.

Although the two-month renewable truce is broadly holding, reports of military operations, particularly around Marib, are concerning and must be addressed urgently through the mechanisms established by the truce, Grundberg told the UN Security Council in a briefing.

"Many Yemenis have told me they fear the truce will be exploited and used to set the stage for a new escalation. This fear is understandable given the lack of trust and past experience, and I want to remind the parties that the foundational principle of the truce is that the respite it offers should be used to make progress toward ending the war, not to escalate it," he said.

The parties have publicly committed to de-escalation, and this is what the Yemeni people and the international community expect of them, he said. "My office has established coordination mechanisms for all aspects of the truce and I encourage the parties to engage seriously and meaningfully in those mechanisms."

The truce, which took effect on April 2, is the result of the commitments of the parties, and it enjoys significant international support. But it is still fragile and temporary. There is a need for the international community to work collectively and intensively in these coming weeks to ensure it does not unravel, he said.