(CNN) -- Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh underwent two operations in Saudi Arabia and will return to Yemen after he recovers, the Saudi state-run Ekhbariya television station reported Monday.
Saleh is in Saudi Arabia for treatment following a rocket attack on his presidential compound on Friday.
There are conflicting reports about his health, with Western diplomatic sources saying Sunday Saleh was undergoing neurosurgery while a spokesman for his party described Saleh's procedures as "simple check-ups."
A senior U.S. official said Saleh had shrapnel wounds and severe burns to his face and chest, adding that it was not clear how serious the injuries were. The official declined to be named due to the sensitivity of the situation.
Two opposition leaders in Yemen expressed cautious support Monday for acting President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, the vice president who assumed temporary power when Saleh flew to Saudi Arabia.
"We do not have any problem if Hadi takes control of the government. He is respected by the people," said Tawakkul Karman, adding that Hadi "must use this historic moment to enter Yemen's history as a leader and revolutionary."
But, she warned that if he does not "conduct immediate reforms, the youth protesters will go against him the same way they did against Saleh. It's Hadi's choice to decide which door of history he wants to go through."
Ahmed Bahri, a senior official of the opposition Joint Meeting Parties, said that if Hadi can lead peaceful change, "we welcome it. If not, he should step aside and not stall the revolution."
"Hadi has been respected by all the political factions for decades, but Saleh did not give him a chance to lead positive change," Bahri said. "Today is his opportunity to repay the Yemeni people for their patience and work for the sake of the people and not for Saleh."
Violence in Yemen continued Monday as three Hashed tribesmen were killed by Yemeni government snipers despite a cease-fire between the two sides, a spokesman for the tribe's leader said.
The cease-fire was agreed upon late Sunday between Hashed leader Sadeq Al-Ahmar -- who opposes the Yemeni government -- and Vice President Hadi, said Abdulqawi Al-Qaisi, spokesman for the Hashed leader.
He blamed Yemen's Republican Guard for the tribesmen's deaths in the Yemeni capital of Sanaa.
"The tribes are insistent that the cease-fire continues, but the Republican Guard wants chaos as usual to show the people that without Saleh, clashing will take place everywhere," Al-Qaisi said.
But the government denied being behind the deaths.
"The government does not attack people who are not going against the law," government spokesman Abdu Ganadi said. "These are claims from the tribes in order to cause more crimes in Sanaa."
Supporters of Al-Ahmar are suspected in the Friday attack on the Yemeni presidential compound. Yemen's state-run news agency SABA, citing a source in Saleh's office, reported last week that three guards and an imam were killed.
Yemeni security forces shelled Al-Ahmar's home on Friday in response to the attack, leaving 10 people dead and 35 others wounded, according to Fawzi Al-Jaradi, an official with the Hashed tribal confederation.
The cease-fire deal followed two weeks of clashes between government and tribal forces in Yemen, where thousands of protesters have been pressuring Saleh to give up power since January.
The fighting erupted when Saleh balked at a deal with the opposition that would have eased him out of office in 30 days.
Yemen's largest opposition bloc had vowed to prevent Saleh from returning.
"The Yemeni people will do all in their power to not allow Saleh to re-enter the country," JMP spokesman Mohammed Qahtan said Sunday.
But what's next for the embattled president and country remains unclear.
Joost Hiltermann, an Washington-based analyst at the International Crisis Group, said Saleh's decision to seek treatment in Saudi Arabia means a shift in power is likely, but "not yet a foregone conclusion."
"The president's sons and nephews control a significant part of the security apparatus," Hiltermann said. "And they might yet put up a fight, or decide to go into negotiations over a transition of power."
Source:
http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/meast/06/06/yemen.unrest/index.html?hpt=hp_t2
