Yemeni president in hospital after palace attack

Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh blames tribal enemies who broke a ceasefire for the attack on his palace, in a speech delivered Friday.

Saleh was lightly injured in a rocket attack that left at least seven guards dead and eight top officials wounded, including the deputy prime minister, the parliament chief and a presidential aide, officials said.

An official who spoke to The Associated Press said Saleh suffered injuries to his neck and his state TV appearance was postponed because of "scratches on his face", Deputy Information Minister Abdu al-Janadi told The Associated Press.

An official said the rockets hit while the officials were praying at a mosque inside the palace compound.

The Deputy Director of the Brookings Doha Centre in Qatar, Ibrahim Sharqieh, said there are reports the opposition tribes were behind the attack but they are denying involvement.

"The tribal leader of the biggest tribe has announced they're not responsible for this and they have not attacked the presidential palace as many have said," he told CTV News Channel on Friday.

Sharqieh said there is also a story that Saleh orchestrated the attack himself, though he said there is no credible evidence.

Friday's attack was a major escalation of nearly two weeks of fighting and the first time tribal fighters directly targeted Saleh's palace.

Protesters in Yemen have been trying to push Saleh from power for months with peaceful protests.

But now the crisis has intensified as a fight for power between Saleh and the al-Ahmar family, leaders of Yemen's powerful tribal confederation, the Hashid, said The Associated Press.

Sharqieh said the protestors are still committed to a nonviolent protest despite the recent attack.

"They feel their peaceful protest has been hijacked by other forces," he said. "And in particular they blame the president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, because they believe a violent confrontation would serve his purpose."

Sharqieh said he thinks the attack will hasten the end of the crisis.

"It does actually make the end of the crisis probably one step closer," he said.

Sanaa residents have been hiding in basements as artillery and gunbattles shake neighbourhoods, including heavy shelling in the southern part of Sanaa ealier in the day.

More than 160 people have been killed in the fighting in the area since it began May 23.

With files from The Associated Press.