国际英语新闻:US to Expedite Arms Supplies to Saudi-led Coalition in Yemen

Civilians have suffered amid the violence that mushroomed from an internal power struggle into a regional war drawing in neighboring Saudi Arabia and its allies.

According to the World Health Organization, more than 540 people have been killed and 1,700 wounded in the fighting in Yemen over the past three weeks.

Children have been especially vulnerable, said Julien Harneis, UNICEF's Yemen representative.

"They are being killed, maimed and forced to flee their homes, their health threatened and their education interrupted," Harneis said in a statement released Monday in Amman, Jordan. Warring factions also have increased recruitment of troops under age 18.

Red Cross aid arriving

The International Committee of the Red Cross said Tuesday its first flight transporting medical personnel to Yemen has reached the capital, Sana'a.

Dominik Stillhart, a senior Red Cross official, noted the arrival in a Twitter post and said tons of urgently needed medical supplies will arrive by air and sea once transportation is cleared.

The Red Cross said Monday that, while it had received the Saudi-led coalition's approval, logistical concerns about flying into the war-torn country were delaying the process.

Humanitarian groups say they are running out of supplies. They have called for a temporary halt to the fighting so medical teams and fresh medical supplies can arrive in the country and residents can identify and bury their dead.

UNICEF said the violence has disrupted water supplies in areas of southern Yemen and sewage is overflowing in some locations, raising the risk of disease outbreak. Water systems have been repeatedly damaged in Aden and two other areas, UNICEF said, adding it's providing fuel for water pumps.

Pitched battle for Aden

On Monday, rebels and their allies made their strongest push yet to seize control of Aden, a main stronghold of Hadi's supporters. Intense clashes left many bodies in the streets.

The fighting raised doubts over the possibility of landing ground forces from the Saudi-led coalition to carve out a secure enclave for Hadi, who fled the country two weeks ago.

"Conditions are very dangerous right now," UNICEF's Gamila Hibatullah in Aden was quoted as saying. "Hospitals are overflowing, and even ambulances have been hijacked."

'China is deeply worried'

On Tuesday, China's Foreign Ministry added its support to calls for a cease-fire in Yemen, after Russia and the Red Cross appealed for a military pause to allow humanitarian aid deliveries and the evacuation of civilians last week.

"China is deeply worried" and seeks a cease-fire to "avoid further civilian casualties," spokeswoman Hua Chunying said at a daily news briefing in Beijing.

"China also hopes that all relevant sides can earnestly implement relevant U.N. Security Council resolutions and Gulf Cooperation Council proposals and resolve the crisis through political dialog so as to quickly restore Yemen's stability and normal legal order,” Hua said.

China, a low-key diplomatic player in the Middle East despite its reliance on oil from the region, previously had called for a political solution.