Libya's NOC Reports Drone Attack Attempt at Fuel Depot

Houthi forces launched a broad assault on several fronts west of Yemen's Taiz governorate and along the Red Sea coast on Thursday, firing more than 12 ballistic missiles as fierce clashes erupted with government forces and the National Resistance.

The fighting began in the early hours across Maqbanah, al-Kadha, al-Tuwair and Ghabari. Military sources said the Houthis used hundreds of artillery and mortar rounds, along with drones, in attacks on government and National Resistance positions. The fighting spread to hills overlooking the al-Aqma area in Mawza district, where National Resistance brigades are deployed.

The Houthis seized several positions during the opening hours, but government forces, Taiz fighters and National Resistance units launched a counterattack and retook a number of them, according to the sources. Government forces said the ballistic missile fire did not disrupt their battlefield operations. The strikes nevertheless caused panic among residents, as many targeted areas near vital facilities and civilian and military supply routes.

Government forces said they shot down three Houthi drones over subdistricts in Jabal Habashi district. Fighting continued in several sectors as both sides deployed reinforcements, while a new wave of more than 12 ballistic missiles hit areas east and north of Mokha and parts of Hodeidah's Khokha district. Local sources said the missiles were launched from Houthi-held positions in Ibb governorate.

The escalation also included an attempted infiltration and ground assault against government positions in al-Kadha. The sides suffered deaths and injuries, military sources said, without giving figures, and four Houthi fighters were reportedly captured. Joint Operations Room reports said Red Sea coastal air defenses and military formations remained on “high alert” against repeated missile threats, which they described as a key Houthi effort to offset battlefield losses and signal a message linked to regional developments around the Red Sea shipping corridor and the Bab al-Mandeb Strait.

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maintaining a high level of vigilance in confronting these repeated missile threats, which have become the group’s most prominent means of trying to offset its successive battlefield losses.