(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - The Associated Press quoted officials as saying that the embattled president suffered 40% burns and has bleeding inside his skull.
Saleh, who has been braced for anti-government protests since January 27, has been in Saudi Arabia receiving medical treatment following a rocket attack on the presidential palace. At least five were killed in the attack and eight others were injured, including Saleh and other top government officials.
Al-Jazeera reported that Saleh was believed to have undergone surgery to remove shrapnel from his chest. Dr Bob Arnot, a medical journalist, told the channel that in his medical opinion, given the current information, Saleh should not be allowed to leave hospital "for a month or so".
"The only thing I would be really concerned about is the bleeding inside his brain ... if that expanded, or destroyed any of the white matter, that is what could harm him potentially to speak, or carry out the duties of a president."
A senior administration official told the BBC that they were not going to comment on Saleh's health. "We're not doctors. As [the] Secretary [of State Hillary Clinton] said yesterday, we're focused here and in Sanaa on working toward a peaceful, orderly, non-violent transition, consistent with Yemen's constitution," the official said.
The country's acting leader, Vice-President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, has said that Saleh intends to return within days. But analysts say that the severity of his injuries will have a direct impact on when - and if - he can come back to the strategically important country he has governed for 33 years, and on who will take power if he cannot.
UNREST ONGOING
Meanwhile, fighting between army and tribesmen was still ongoing with the sides clashed near the presidential palace in Yemen's second-largest city, Taiz.
A shell fired by a tank near the palace landed in a nearby residential area - killing four people, including three children, according to the Associated Press.
Armed groups backed by the opposition and local tribes have deployed in large parts of Taiz to protect installations and neighborhoods after security forces vanished two days ago, residents said.
Furthermore, fighting also raged between Yemeni troops and suspected al-Qaeda gunmen at the gates of the southern city Zinjibar. Yemen's military said it had killed 30 of the group's fighters on Tuesday, including a local al-Qaeda leader.
PROTESTS AFTER TALKS REJECTED
On the other hand, the government has rejected an offer from the Joint Meeting Parties (JMP), the country's umbrella opposition group, for talks about a political transition.
A high-ranking government source said no dialogue can take place until Saleh, returns to the country. The response spurred on thousands of protesters to gather in front of the residence of the VP Mansour on Tuesday, demanding the acting leader form a transitional council.
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