SANAA, Aug. 9 (Xinhua) -- Yemen's Houthi group claimed Sunday it launched a large-scale attack with ballistic missiles and drones on Saudi-backed forces in the strategic Red Sea port city of Mocha in western Yemen's Taiz Province.
Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said in a statement on social media platform X that the operation targeted troop gatherings and weapons depots in Mocha, causing "widespread destruction" of weapons and military equipment, and killing or wounding dozens of personnel, including Saudis.
He said the attack was in response to what the Houthis described as continued Saudi-backed military mobilization and reinforcements, as well as recent attacks against Houthi-controlled sites along Yemen's western coast and in Taiz Province.
The group will continue monitoring Saudi-backed military movements and reinforcements, and maintain its "blockade-for-blockade" strategy, he added.
The claim followed reported explosions in Mocha earlier in the day. A Yemeni government official told Xinhua on condition of anonymity that the Houthis had launched several ballistic missiles and more than 18 drones toward Mocha, with some hitting "civilian areas" inside the port.
Local residents reported hearing powerful explosions and seeing smoke rising over the area.
Mocha, a government-held city in southwestern Taiz, lies near the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a strategic chokepoint connecting the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and a vital passage for international shipping.
The Houthis claimed earlier on Sunday that they launched a drone attack on a Saudi Aramco refinery in Saudi Arabia's southwestern city of Jazan, while the Saudi Energy Ministry said industrial security firefighting teams of Saudi Aramco had extinguished a fire at one of the facilities of the refinery, with no injuries reported.
The developments came amid escalating tensions between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia. On July 20, the Houthis announced a maritime ban on Saudi-linked shipping in the Red Sea, citing an alleged Saudi blockade of Houthi-held areas.
The group has also claimed missile and drone strikes on government-held areas within Yemen, including the eastern oil-rich provinces of Marib and Hadramout, and on Saudi-linked vessels, energy sites and airports, while the Saudi-led coalition has resumed limited airstrikes on key Houthi military targets in Yemen.
Yemen has been mired in conflict since late 2014, when the Houthis seized much of northern Yemen, including the capital Sanaa, prompting a Saudi-led coalition to intervene in 2015 in support of the internationally recognized government. ■
