Yemen's President Ali Abdullah Saleh was heading to Saudi Arabia on Saturday for medical treatment, broadcasters Al Jazeera and Al Arabiya said citing Yemeni and Saudi sources.

However, Yemen's deputy information minister denied the reports, while officials said Saleh was in capital Sanaa recovering from head wounds on Saturday.

He was injured in an attack on the presidential palace on Friday. Saudi and other Gulf States have been urging him to sign a Gulf-led deal to step down and end his nearly 33-year-rule over Yemen.

Meanwhile, in a separate report, the BBC said Saleh had been left with shrapnel near his heart and second-degree burns to his chest and face in the attack.

The BBC said it had been informed by 'sources close to the president' that Saleh had a piece of shrapnel almost 7.6 cm long under his heart.

The sources added that it was unclear whether the Yemeni president would need surgery.

In an audio address on Friday, Saleh said he had suffered only minor wounds and blamed an 'outlaw gang' for the attack. He has not appeared in public, raising speculation over the extent of his injuries.-Reuters