Humanitarian flights land in rebel-held Sanaa

Sana a Nov 26 (IANS) At least four humanitarian flights on Saturday landed in the airport of Yemen s capital Sana a which is controlled by Houthi rebels two days after the Saudi Arabia-led coalition lifted a blockade imposed on the airport.

Two United Nations flights with 23 of its personnel onboard arrived in Sana a from Jordan and Djibouti in addition to one plane from the International Committee of the Red Cross carrying eight of its humanitarian workers airport officials told Efe.

A fourth flight belonging to the United Nations Children Fund (Unicef) carrying polio vaccines also landed at the airport according to the sources.

On Nov. 22 the blockade on Sana a International Airport was lifted after which a flight carrying humanitarian aid and workers arrived.

The Saudi-led coalition had imposed the blockade on Nov. 6 after Houthi rebels fired a missile at the Saudi capital Riyadh which was intercepted in the air.

Saudi Arabia accuses Iran of providing Houthi rebels with the missile launched at Riyadh.

UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Mark Lowcock had warned that the blockade would lead to "the largest famine the world has seen for many decades."

Initially the coalition imposed a temporary land sea and air embargo but one week later announced it would lift the blockade in the areas controlled by the Saudi-backed government based in Aden.

--IANS
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