UN medical evacuations to begin from Yemen's rebel-held Sanaa

Critically ill Yemenis in need of medical care are to be flown out of rebel-held Sanaa on Monday, an airport official said, under a United Nations humanitarian evacuation plan for the war-torn country.

The internationally recognised government, backed by a Saudi-led military coalition, has been fighting the Iran-aligned Huthi rebels since 2014, when the rebels seized control of the capital.

In November, the coalition -- which controls Yemen's airspace -- said that patients needing medical care would be allowed to be flown out of Sanaa, which has been closed to commercial flights since 2016.

"Patients and families are due to arrive in Sanaa airport at 12:30 local time (0930 GMT), and the aircraft is expected to leave today," a Huthi official at the airport told AFP.

The Huthis on Sunday criticised the evacuation plan as inadequate for the needs of thousands of people in urgent need of treatment.

"The World Health Organization said it will transport via a small UN plane only seven patients with their escorts per flight," the rebels said in a statement carried by their Al-Masira channel.

"The number of people signed up for medical evacuations are around 32,000 patients with serious illnesses."