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Saudi move against Islah in Taiz forces it to withdraw from multiple areas as Sanaa forces take control of them

Tribal sources in al-Hujariyah area of southwestern rural Taiz revealed on Thursday a sharp shift in relations between Saudi Arabia and the Islah Party.

According to the sources, the crisis began on Wednesday evening, following the Saudi-Emirati reconciliation

The “Saudi Special Committee,” via Rashad al-Alimi, targeted the party’s positions and leaders in rural Taiz as follows:

Sidelining a military commander affiliated with Islah: the Saudi committee removed Rami al-Khalidi, commander of the Islah-affiliated “Nasr Brigade,” who was responsible for sensitive positions separating areas held by Tariq Afash’s forces on the western coast from southwestern rural Taiz in the vicinity of al-Turbah.

This coincided with the restructuring of Tariq Saleh’s forces into 3 infantry brigades instead of operating under the name “Guardians of the Republic,” in preparation for deploying them to rural Taiz under the cover of military reinforcements, as well as support for Yusuf al-Sharaji, commander of the 7th Division of the “Nation Shield” forces, whom the sources describe as one of Islah’s most prominent rivals in Taiz.

The sources also spoke of supplying Tariq Saleh’s and al-Sharaji’s forces with weapons and equipment, at a time when Islah formations were suffering from a severe shortage of ammunition and weapons, while their repeated requests for reinforcements were ignored.

This strengthened the conviction within the party that Riyadh was moving toward gradually stripping it of its influence and handing its positions to its rivals.

These moves angered Islah factions, which began withdrawing from strategic positions in Bani Omar in al-Shamayatayn District, Hayjat al-Abd, and Samia, extending to the al-Aqrud area.

The sources linked the withdrawal to an attempt to prevent additional Tariq Saleh forces from reaching areas under Islah influence and to redraw the map of control in al-Hujariyah at the party’s expense.

As a result, Islah factions found themselves facing their traditional rivals, who had received Saudi support, weapons, and backing, while Islah’s most prominent commanders were sidelined and its forces were left suffering from shortages of supplies.