Another dictator from the Arab world falls.
Wounded, Yemeni Ali Saleh, who had been in power for 33 years, was taken to Saudi Arabia
Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, Prime Minister Ali Muhammad Mujawar, Speaker of Parliament Yahya Ali al-Raie, and Minister of Internal Affairs Sadek Amini Abu Ras have been transferred to Saudi Arabia for medical treatment. They were injured yesterday when a projectile struck a mosque located within the presidential compound in Yemen's capital, Sanaa.
Saleh, who was admitted to a military hospital in Sana'a, is in stable condition. He suffered minor head injuries. "There is no cause for concern," a doctor told AFP. The same professional stated that the four Yemeni officials were transferred to Saudi Arabia because the hospitals there are better equipped.
In a recorded statement broadcast on state television last night, President Saleh said he was well and that the attack killed seven people inside the presidential compound. The governor of Sana'a, Noman Duweik, lost a leg and a hand and is in critical condition in a hospital in the capital.
The Yemeni government attributed the attack to tribal opposition leader Sheikh Sadiq al-Ahmar, whose forces have been clashing with troops loyal to Saleh.
Political clashes have already killed several people in recent days in northern Sanaa, but yesterday they also spread to the south of the capital. Troops fired on the home of Sheikh al-Ahmar, according to witnesses. Heavy weapons attacks also targeted the residence of Sheikh Hamid, brother of the powerful al-Ahmar, whose men are battling security forces in the north of the capital, witnesses reported.
Tribal leaders and doctors said that 10 people were killed and another 35 were injured last night during clashes in Hassaba, where the base of opposition sheikh al-Ahmar is located.
Violence erupted in late May, following months of peaceful protests against President Saleh, who had been in power for 33 years, and failed diplomatic attempts to remove him from office. The clashes have already killed more than 160 people.
Due to the worsening situation in the country, Germany has closed its embassy and ordered the evacuation of its citizens residing there. "The embassy staff will leave the country immediately," the German Foreign Ministry said in a statement.