An American held in Yemen was flown to Oman on Sunday in the first leg of his journey home after he was released in the Houthi-controlled capital of Sanaa, the Omani state new agency ONA reported.

Oman has kept good ties with the Houthis who control much of northern Yemen by taking a neutral stand in the 19-month-old war that has drawn a Saudi-led Arab coalition into the conflict.

The man was flown on an Omani royal air force jet that also evacuated a group of wounded Yemenis for treatment in the Gulf Arab sultanate.

It did not identify the American or give any details on when and why he was held in Yemen. But some media outlets have reported that a U.S. citizen was in detention in Yemen on charges of spying.

Last month, Oman - a member of the Gulf Cooperation Council - helped free two Americans held by Yemen's Houthis. They were also taken to Muscat before they returned home.

The United Nations estimates that more than 10,000 people have been killed since the Saudi-led coalition began military operations in Yemen in March last year, trying to restore ousted President Abd-Rabu Mansour Hadi to power.

Saudi Arabia accuses non-Arab and Shi'ite Muslim Iran of trying to expand its influence into Yemen by supporting the Houthis, a group that hails from the Zaydi branch of Shi'ite Islam. Iran denies any involvement in the Yemen conflict.Reuters