(CNN) -- Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who is being treated in Saudi Arabia after an attack on his compound, will return to Yemen on Friday, senior adviser Ahmed Al-Soufi told CNN. The ruling GPC party said the president will be received by celebrations, but anti-government demonstrators throughout the country likely would not welcome his return. Yemeni security forces and pro-revolution armed tribesmen have been clashing intermittently in Taiz City starting late Tuesday night, according to eyewitnesses. The clashes have been in the Al-Hoban and Kalabah areas of the city, approximately 1 kilometer (half-mile) west of Freedom Square, according to eyewitnesses. Residents also report hearing gunfire in the city.
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NEW: Gunfire heard in Taiz City, eyewitnesses say
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The U.S. State Department is not aware of Saleh's plans, a spokeswoman says
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President Ali Abdullah Saleh will return home from Saudi Arabia Friday, a senior adviser says
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Opposition leaders discount Saleh's return as false rumors
"The youth have the backing of the international community and the @placeholder era is over," he said.