Yemen's pro-government forces confirmed Thursday that an Iranian ship carrying missile components was seized in the Arabian Sea near the country's coasts.

An official of Yemen's forces said on condition of anonymity that "the U.S. navy and navy forces of the Saudi-led Arab coalition had seized an Iranian ship in Yemeni territorial waters, carrying weapons to the Houthi group."

"Parts of Iran-made missiles and various military components were found inside the seized ship," he said.

He stressed "the ship was Iranian, flying the flag of Iran, and the crew composed of Iranian sailors also."

According to the Yemeni official, "the ship was seized in Yemen's territorial waters off Kamaran island, and preliminary information indicated that it was going to unload weapons near the island on small fishing boats."

The Iran-allied Houthis control much of Hodeidah while the Saudi-backed government troops have advanced to the southeastern districts.

Yemen has been locked in a civil war since the Houthis seized all northern provinces, including the capital Sanaa, in 2014.

Saudi Arabia has been leading an Arab military coalition that intervened in Yemen's conflict in 2015 to support the government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi after Houthi rebels forced him into exile.

The prolonged military conflict has aggravated the suffering of Yemenis and deepened the world's worst humanitarian crisis.