The foreign ministry holds the Houthi group accountable for this current escalation in Yemen that hinders efforts to renew a truce in the country, according to the statement.

Egypt asserted that the Houthis must immediately respond to international and regional efforts to renew the truce in Yemen in order to reach a lasting ceasefire and promote a political settlement.

The statement warned of exploiting current international conditions by any party to escalate conflict in Yemen and threaten security and stability in the country.

The statement reiterated Egypt's strong support for the unity and sovereignty of Yemen and its full solidarity with it to face all threats.

Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels said they targeted a cargo ship Friday off an oil terminal in the war-wrecked Arab country’s south to prevent pro-government forces from using it for oil exports. A Greek company owning the Marshall Islands-flagged tanker said it sustained no damage in the attack by explosive-laden drones, according to AP.

The attack apparently targetting the Nissos Kea marks the first announced military action since a truce between the country’s warring sides expired earlier this month. It also again signals potential danger for commercial ships that pass by or stop in Yemen.

The Houthis said the attack was a “warning strike.” The territory is controlled by the country’s internationally recognised government.

Yemen's brutal civil war erupted in 2014, when the Houthis seized the capital, Sanaa, and forced the government into exile. The Saudi-led coalition entered the war in early 2015 to try to restore the government to power.

Since then, more than 150,000 people have been killed in the violence and three million have been displaced. Two-thirds of the population receives food assistance.

The initial two-month truce agreed to in April by the government and the Houthis was extended twice, until 2 October. Since then, both the United States and the United Nations have blamed the Houthis for a breakdown in efforts to extend the cease-fire yet again.

One of the main obstacles to a truce is the use of Yemen’s resources. The Houthis maintain that oil produced in Yemen should not be allowed to be exported by the cash-strapped government side.