Yemeni rebels make gains in key port city

Rebel fighters made advances in a key Yemeni port city on Sunday, resulting in a firefight that reportedly killed dozens.

{mosads}As many as 36 Houthi and allied fighters were killed as they moved deeper into the center of Aden, the home city of embattled President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi. Nearly a dozen fighters from a Saudi-backed military coalition that supports Hadi were also killed, according to Reuters.

The rebel fighters had reportedly invaded homes and set buildings on fire in the battleground city, according to another report by Agence France-Presse.

The intensified fighting Sunday comes on the 11th day of airstrikes from the Saudi-led forces. At least 500 people have been killed, according to the United Nations.

Russia, as well as the Red Cross, put out an urgent call for a ceasefire this weekend, warning of a worsening humanitarian crisis in Aden and throughout Yemen.

The Red Cross received permission Sunday to send two planes into Aden: one for staff, one for supplies. The aid is expected to arrive on Monday.

The U.N. Security Council has said it will respond to Russia’s draft proposal for a temporary halt in fighting to allow in aid.

Houthi rebels, which have posed a serious threat to the Hadi government since 2011, seized the capital city last fall and forced Hadi to flee to Saudi Arabia.