At dawn on Friday, coalition forces shelled positions held by Houthi militias and forces loyal to ousted president Ali Abdullah Saleh in Hajjah province in northwestern Yemen. The shelling followed advances by the army and popular resistance in several areas, especially al-Dhale.
Al Jazeera’s correspondent said coalition artillery targeted militia positions in Haradh district, near the Saudi border in Hajjah. The shelling was accompanied by clashes involving heavy and medium weapons between the national army and the Houthis and Saleh loyalists.
The fighting followed three days of relative calm on the emerging northwestern front, particularly in Hajjah’s Midi and Haradh districts along the Saudi border.
The previous days’ clashes ended with advances by the national army, supported by the coalition, including the liberation of the important port of Midi and large areas in both districts.