The Saudi-led coalition has intensified its air strikes in and around Yemen’s capital Sanaa, targeting weapons storage sites used by the Houthi rebels who have seized power.
The air raids, which hit the Defence Ministry and facilities including al-Hafa military camp, lasted for several hours, residents told the news agency Reuters.
The Republican Guard was also targeted, in the sixteenth straight day of coalition air strikes on the country.
Saudi Arabia also said that it had targeted a sports stadium which was being used as a Houthi ammunition store, in the southern city of Aden, a day earlier.
“The use of schools and sports stadiums and civilian installations is evidence of the abnormal behaviour of these groups and the actions that are intended to damage the daily life of citizens and the infrastructure,” Brigadier General Ahmed Asseri, a coalition spokesman, said.
Upsurge in malnutrition
Despite the fighting, planes carrying medical aid have been able to land for the first time since the airstrikes began over two weeks ago.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said they finally landed two planes in Sanaa’s international airport on Friday, carrying more than 30 tonnes of medical equipment, after days of delays.
Cedric Schweizer, head of the Red Cross delegation, told Al Jazeera that his organisation had been given security guarantees to distribute the aid around the country.
Schweizer said a surgical team had also arrived in the southern city of Aden, arriving at night by boat.
In a separate interview with Al Jazeera from Sanaa, Marie-Claire Feghali, a spokeswoman, said a second Red Cross plane carrying 32 tonnes of medical and humanitarian supplies was expected on Saturday.
Feghali said that the distribution of the medical supplies would also start on Saturday.
“The situation is not easy for the health workers and doctors,” she said, adding that at least three medical volunteers were killed in recent days while trying to retrieve those who were injured.
She also reported that in one hospital all ambulances were stolen, making it difficult to transport patients.
The United Nations has said roads were being cut off and boats were being prevented from leaving many ports, which would make distributing the aid difficult.
Meanwhile, Julien Harneis, a representative of UNICEF in Yemen, told Al Jazeera that he expects an “upsurge in malnutrition across the country” in the coming weeks.
“It was already a country where 60 percent of the country was living under the poverty line, that’s not going to get any better,” he said.
So far the fighting has killed over 600 people and displaced 100,000 others.
Source: Al Jazeera and agencies
