Saleh 'Out of Intensive Care'

The Daily Telegraph reports:

Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh is out of intensive care after "successful" surgery in Riyadh, where he is being treated for bomb blast wounds, the official Saba news agency said.

The new agency reported that celebratory gunfire and fireworks erupted during Wednesday night as Saleh's supporters took to the streets "feting the success of the surgery... and his transfer from intensive care to a royal suite" in a military hospital in the Saudi capital.

Saleh was flown to Saudi Arabia for treatment on Saturday after an attack on his palace. The United States has stepped up its attacks on militant suspects in Yemen with armed drones and fighter jets, according to a report in the US. The accelerated attacks have been taking place over the past few weeks, and come as the government in Sana'a has been struggling to remain in control.

The attacks are designed to take advantage of the growing power vacuum in the country and to keep militants in the south who are linked to al-Qaeda from expanding their area of operation, the New York Times reported.