News - Yemen: Tension is mounting in the Al-Wazi’yah district of Yemen’s occupied Taiz province as armed clashes erupted between rival militias aligned with the Saudi-UAE coalition.

According to media outlets affiliated with anti-Sana’a forces, fighting broke out at dawn on Friday between forces loyal to Tareq Saleh and gunmen aligned with the Islah Party. The confrontation reportedly began after Tareq Saleh’s forces launched attacks on several areas in Al-Wazi’yah. Islah-aligned fighters were said to have downed a reconnaissance drone belonging to Saleh’s forces after it flew over surrounding villages and mountain areas.

Other outlets reported that Islah militants attacked a security campaign led by Tareq Saleh’s forces in the Al-Hadara area of the district, sparking exchanges of fire with light and medium weapons.

Sources added that Islah’s fighters subsequently seized control of the Al-Rawajil mountain range after pursuing members of the security campaign to its highest peak.

The district has witnessed days of rising tension following raids and house incursions carried out by Tareq Saleh’s forces under the pretext of searching for wanted individuals, actions that have triggered public anger.

Rifts among coalition-backed factions continue to deepen as each group pursues competing interests. Islah militias aim to expand influence toward the strategic port city of Mokha and push out Tareq Saleh’s forces. Meanwhile, Saleh’s units seek to contain the Islah advance to secure a long-term Emirati presence in Mokha, a key maritime corridor on the Red Sea.