Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh was slightly injured in a shelling attack on his palace on Friday as fighting intensified in the capital of the impoverished country. Saleh, who is facing an unprecedented challenge to nearly 33 years of rule, said seven people were killed when a mosque in the presidential palace was shelled by his tribal foes.
"I salute our armed forces and the security forces for standing up firmly to confront this challenge by an outlaw gang that has nothing to do with the so-called youth revolution," said Saleh, speaking only via audio in a televised speech. The deputy information minister said earlier that Saleh, 69, suffered minor injuries in the attack but was in "good health". A senior diplomat said the prime minister, his deputy, the parliament speaker and other aides were among the injured.
Global powers are worried that Yemen, home to a wing of militant group al Qaeda known as AQAP and bordering the world's biggest oil exporter Saudi Arabia, could become a failed state raising risks for world oil supplies. Yemen has tipped swiftly towards civil war this week, with Hashed tribesmen battling Saleh forces in Sanaa. More than 370 people have been killed, at least 155 of them in the last 10 days, since a popular uprising began in January against Saleh's long rule. On Friday, fierce fighting engulfed the capital, where residents cowered in their homes as explosions rocked the city.
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