The Saudi Arabian Foreign Ministry has invited southern Yemeni warring parties to attend talks in Riyadh, following an incident that has brought Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates into direct conflict.

The two Gulf powers are engaged in a long-running conflict in the name of the internationally recognized Yemeni government, but their alliance is being tested by the various rival groups that the countries support.

One of the groups is moving closer to declaring independence from southern Yemen.

On Friday, the UAE-backed forces declared a "war" and said they were being attacked by Saudi Arabia's ground forces, backed by airstrikes.

In a statement posted on social media, Saudi Arabia called on "all southern Yemeni factions to participate in a comprehensive conference in Riyadh to find a solution."

Riyadh said the Yemeni government had presented the speech.

Yemen's civil war erupted in 2014, plunging the country into a bloody conflict and the world's worst famine.

At the start of the war, the Iran-backed Houthi rebels seized control of much of northern Yemen, including the capital, Sanaa, from the government.