Yemeni President Injured By 'Outlaw Gang'

The President of Yemen has suffered minor injuries in an attack on his palace which he has blamed on an "outlaw gang" of his tribal enemies.

In an audio message aired on state TV, Ali Abdullah Saleh pointed the finger of blame at the Hashed tribe led by Sadeq al Ahmar who has been battling Saleh loyalists in Yemen's capital, Sanaa.

"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," he said.

Mr Saleh said seven people were killed after an explosive device was shot into a mosque within the presidential compound during Friday prayers.

Earlier, deputy information minister Abdu al Janadi said Mr Saleh suffered minor injuries but was "in good health".

The Hashed tribal group denied any link to the attack, according to the leader's office.

Sadeq al Ahmar, head of the Hashed federation, accused President Saleh's troops of carrying out the attack to justify the escalation of fighting in the capital.

Security sources have said that Yemeni forces have shelled the houses of tribal leaders in retaliation for the attack.

The US condemned the violence and said the dispute in Yemen will only be solved through negotiations on all sides.

Journalist Iona Craig, who is in Sanaa, said the attack showed violence had spread across the city - from where it started in the north to where the palace is in the south.

She said President Saleh has proved to be "increasingly defiant".

The attacks on the compound took place after forces loyal to the president battled with tribal fighters in Sanaa in clashes that killed dozens and injured hundreds more.

Two weeks of street fighting with mortars, machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades intensified late on Thursday.

Witnesses said security forces had fired live bullets at people protesting against Mr Saleh's rule.

Street fighting in Sanaa has killed at least 135 people in the past 10 days, officials said.

Battles near the airport briefly grounded flights, with state television showing the Yemeni Airways building ablaze.

It also showed heavily damaged government buildings which had been taken back by government forces.

The capital is split, with Saleh loyalists holding the south against tribesmen and renegade military units in the north.

People in the city said dozens were likely to have been killed in the most recent round of fighting, mostly for control of government buildings.

"It felt as if the artillery shells were flying next to my head... my wife, my daughter were screaming. It was horrible," Sadeq al Lahbe said before fleeing.

"There is no electricity, no water and violent strikes shaking the house. Is this life?"

The battles on the ground have unfolded as a US envoy flew around the region to try to stop a looming civil war.

Mr Saleh has reneged on a deal brokered by the Gulf Arab states to secure a peaceful end to his nearly 33 years in power.

US President Barack Obama's top counter-terrorism adviser arrived in the region on Wednesday to reinforce the drive to oust him.

Late on Thursday, the Gulf Co-operation Council, whose power transition plan Mr Saleh has refused to sign so far, said it would continue its efforts towards a "peaceful solution".