Yemen Ceasefire Announced In Face Of Escalating Violence

SANAA, Yemen -- Yemeni ruling party officials and rebel tribesmen say Saudi King Abdullah has mediated a one-week cease-fire between the warring forces of President Ali Abdullah Saleh and the anti-government opposition.
The Saudi monarch intervened in an attempt to contain a raging military conflict that has swept the capital over the past week. Abdullah stepped in shortly after Saleh's presidential palace compound was hit by a rebel rocket attack on Friday. Saleh was slightly injured, and 11 security guards were killed. Five other top officials were sent to Saudi Arabia for treatment.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.
SANAA, Yemen (AP) – Five top members of the government were sent to Saudi Arabia for treatment of wounds they suffered in a rebel rocket attack on the presidential palace, the official government news agency reported Saturday. President Ali Abdullah Saleh was slightly injured.
Hisham Sharaf, minister of trade and industry, said he met with Saleh Friday night and that the president remained defiant in the face of escalating violence. Months of peaceful demonstrations to oust the regime have become a raging military conflict in the capital and elsewhere.
"He was in very high morale. The strike that doesn't break you makes you stronger. The strike made him more adamant that he won't handover the country until he is sure it will be safe and clear of militias," Sharaf said. He said he spoke with Saleh at a military hospital Friday night where he was treated for minor wounds before returning to the presidential palace.
But a senior official in the president's office said Saleh remains in the military hospital. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the press.
Presidential spokesman Ahmed al-Sufi declined to comment. He accused the United States of orchestrating the attack on Saleh, saying all signs pointed to American involvement "because of the precision and the timing."
A military official said, however, investigators were trying to determine if there was a security breach in the palace guard.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/06/04/ali-abdullah-saleh-yemen-protests_n_871286.html

Wow! What a surprise; more unrest in the Middle East?  Why is there this much hate centered in one part of the world?  Has anyone ever explored the answer to that question?  Is it their religious beliefs?  Is it the governmental influence?  Hate is a powerful motivator and it is my one true hope that someday, somehow these hateful nations will heal.  Unfortunately; I sincerely doubt that this will happen during my lifetime.