First ICRC Flight Reaches Yemeni Capital

An initial ICRC flight transporting medical personnel has reached the Yemeni capital Sanaa, the organization said Tuesday, as fighting in the Arabian Peninsula country led to warnings of a humanitarian crisis.

"First @ICRC flight reached Sanaa. More to come by air and sea when clearances received to bring urgently needed medical supplies," Dominik Stillhart, director of operations at the International Committee of the Red Cross, posted on his Twitter account.

ICRC spokeswoman Sitara Jabeen said the first flight was a small passenger plane carrying medical staff and that it landed on Monday. A cargo plane with medical supplies was waiting in Amman, she said.

"This plane will go to Sanaa tomorrow," said Jabeen.

The organization was also planning to send another aid shipment with a plane that would travel from Geneva to Sanaa.

Relief workers have warned of a dire situation in the impoverished country, where a Saudi-led coalition is waging an air war on the Iran-backed Huthi Shiite rebels.