ADEN, Yemen, Oct. 10 (Xinhua) -- A senior official of the Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces survived an assassination attempt in Yemen's southeastern province of Shabwa on Wednesday, a security official told Xinhua.

Musfar Harithy, head of the monitoring and inspection department of Yemeni Defence Ministry, was attacked by heavy gunfire from two gunmen when travelling in his car through the coastal road in Shabwa province, the local security source said on condition of anonymity.

The Motorcycle-riding gunmen failed to assassinate Harithy and fled to unknown whereabouts, the source said, adding that some of the bullets hit the official's car but caused no death.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attempted assassination so far.

Security forces backed by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) later cordoned off the area and are investigating the assault.

Government officials including high-ranking security commanders and intelligence officers have been the prime targets of kidnapping incidents as well as armed attacks launched by unknown gunmen in recent days.

The impoverished Arab country has been locked into a civil war since the Iranian-backed Shiite Houthi rebels overran much of the country militarily and seized all northern provinces, including capital Sanaa, in 2014.

Saudi Arabia leads an Arab military coalition that intervened in Yemen in 2015 to support the government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi after Iran-backed Houthi rebels forced him into exile.