Saleh was initially said to have received a shrapnel wound, and his vice president was quoted on June 6 as saying the president would return to Yemen within days from Saudi Arabia where he is being treated.

The Yemeni official reiterated comments by a US official, saying Saleh was in a more serious condition with burns over roughly 40 percent of his body. Britain called on June 7 for an orderly transition of power from Saleh.

In the capital Sanaa, thousands of protesters gathered in front of the Yemeni Vice President's residence on June 7, demanding the acting leader for Saleh form a transitional council to create a new government.

Outside the peaceful protest in the capital of Sanaa, battles raged in a southern town held by Islamist militants.

Around 4,000 demonstrators in Sanaa, who have been calling for Saleh to step down for five months, called for a "million-man march" for him to stay in Saudi Arabia, where he has been treated for injuries since an attack on June 3.

Saleh has defied pressure to accept the transition plan brokered by the Saudi-led Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). Three times, he has backed away from signing it at the last minute.