Yemen's Saleh Out of Intensive Care, State Media Says

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – RIYADH, Saudi Arabia -- Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh has left intensive care after "successful" surgery in Saudi Arabia, the Saba state news agency reported Thursday.

Saba reported that celebratory gunfire and fireworks erupted late Wednesday as Saleh's supporters took to the streets of Yemen's capital Sanaa "feting the success of the surgery ... and his transfer from intensive care to a royal suite."

The celebratory gunfire wounded some 80 people in the capital alone, medical sources said. Witnesses said there were also casualties in provincial towns, AFP reported.

The embattled leader left Yemen for medical treatment in Saudi Arabia over the weekend after he was wounded in an attack on the presidential palace.

In his absence, Saleh handed authority to the Yemeni vice president Abdul Rabu Mansur Hadi, who ordered a halt to clashes in Sanaa between government and tribal forces.

However, officials loyal to Saleh said Monday he would return from Saudi Arabia within days, dashing the opposition's hopes for a rapid political transition.

There have been conflicting reports about the veteran leader's health since he was flown to Riyadh on Saturday for treatment. He has not been seen in public since.

A Saudi official said Wednesday that Saleh's health was "stable," adding the beleaguered president was waiting for doctors to "appoint a date for cosmetic surgery."