Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh has suffered shrapnel wounds and burns in Friday's attack on his Sanaa compound. Sources have told the BBC that Mr Saleh had a piece of shrapnel below his heart and second-degree chest and face burns. This has not been officially confirmed. Reports that he had left for Saudi Arabia have been denied. But fresh speculation persists that he plans to seek medical treatment there. An audio message was aired on Friday, but he has not appeared in public. In the broadcast, Mr Saleh blamed the attack on an "outlaw gang" of his tribal foes - an accusation denied by Sheikh Sadeq al-Ahmar, the head of the Hashid tribal federation, whose fighters have been clashing with security forces. Tribal officials later said that 10 people had been killed and 35 others injured overnight when government troops shelled the Hassaba area, where Sheikh Ahmar's brother Hamid is based. Some reports now say that Sheikh Hamid himself was injured. The Ahmar family has been financing the opposition and helping sustain protesters, who have been demanding Mr Saleh's resignation since January despite a crackdown that has left at least 350 people dead. Western and regional powers have been urging Mr Saleh to sign a Gulf Co-operation Council-brokered deal that would see him hand over power to his deputy in return for an amnesty from prosecution. He has agreed to sign on several occasions, but then backed out. More than 160 people have been killed in the fighting that began on 23 May and has brought Yemen to the brink of civil war. Mr Saleh and several senior officials were praying at the al-Nahdayn mosque inside the presidential compound in the south of Sanaa on Friday afternoon when it was hit by at least three rockets, officials said. Seven presidential guards were killed, some apparently as they jumped on Mr Saleh to protect him. Yemen's Minister of International Co-operation, Hisham Sharaf, told the BBC that the president had received light injuries to his head. But later reports suggested his injuries might have been more severe. Sources close to the president have told the BBC that Mr Saleh has a piece of shrapnel almost 7.6cm (3in) long under his heart and that it has punctured one of his lungs. Yemeni officials are now bringing Saudi medical experts to treat the president's injuries and it is understood that he is to be operated on soon, the sources added. Unconfirmed reports have suggested that Mr Saleh has also gone to Saudi Arabia for treatment, or possibly even for good. But Deputy Information Minister Abduh al-Janadi and sources in the president's office insist the reports are untrue. Mr Saleh was taken to a military hospital and not discharged until late on Friday. By Saturday morning, state television was still airing only his audio message, accompanied by an old photograph. Mr Sharaf also said the speaker of the lower house of parliament, Yahya al-Rai, was seriously wounded, while several other senior officials were also hurt, including Prime Minister Ali Mohammed Mujawar, the speaker of the upper house, Abdul Aziz Abdul Ghani, and Mr Saleh's security adviser. The Saba news agency said Mr Mujawar, Mr Rai, Mr Abdul Ghani, Deputy Prime Minister Rashad al-Alimi and the security adviser, who was in a serious condition, were later flown to Saudi Arabia for treatment. New ceasefire? Tanks and security checkpoints remain in place across the capital, with a number of roads blocked. Some residents have been out in the streets getting urgent supplies, but the atmosphere remains very tense, our correspondent says. "Bullets are everywhere, explosions terrified us. There's no chance to stay any more," one man told the Reuters news agency. On Saturday, a Saudi source was quoted by Reuters as saying that Riyadh negotiated a new ceasefire in Yemen. The Yemeni government has so far made no public comment on the issue. The United States, the European Union and the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) have all repeatedly called for an immediate truce. Source: BBC