BNEGHAZI, Libya (Reuters) - Clashes broke out on Wednesday near the Libyan town of Ben Jawad, west of some of Libya’s major oil ports, a spokesman for a force that guards the ports said.

Mohamed Qabaili, a spokesman for the Petrol Facilities Guard, said forces attacking the area had fired rockets as they tried to move east towards Libya’s Oil Crescent where the ports are located.

Earlier, eastern Libyan forces who took control of the ports in September carried out an air strike against vehicles in the area, security officials said.