Yemen President Ali Abdullah Saleh underwent surgery in Saudi Arabia following being wounded in an attack to his palace. The people of Yemen cheered and even killed cows (as sacrifice) in celebration to what they hope is the beginning of the end of the president’s 33-year rule.

An official representing the Yemeni government said that the leader will return to the country within a few days. However, the threat of more chaos remains high as gunfights and power struggle continue in many parts of the country.

A medical source from Saudi Arabia said that Saleh is wide awake and his condition is stable. Moreover, the source said that the surgery to remove shrapnel from his chest went very well and the leader is on his way to full recovery.

Ghanem Nuseibeh, senior analyst at Political Capital, thinks that this is the end of Abdullah Saleh’s long reign in Yemen. He added that leaving Yemen has really made it more difficult for the leader to retain his power.

However, many are concerned that if and should Saleh gives up his power, Yemen could become a failed state. That would pose a threat to global security and oil supply. Nuseibeh is hopeful and said there is a very small window of opportunity for Saudi and the West to salvage what is left of Yemen but they need to act fast.

Yemen’s government and military forces blames al Qaeda for the attack, but many analysts all over the globe believe that they are exaggerating the al Qaeda involvement in order to gain global support.