Saudi Arabia brokered a ceasefire between rival clans and politicans that allow Mr Saleh to leave. The streets of Sanaa, which had rung with gun and rocket fire in recent days, were mostly quiet except for a few small gatherings celebrating Mr Saleh's departure. The Saudi royal court said he had arrived to be treated for wounds suffered in Friday's rocket attack on his presidential palace - an assault that marked a major escalation in a conflict building towards full civil war. Rumours of the veteran leader's departure had circulated in Sanaa for hours before his arrival in Riyadh was confirmed, and Yemeni officials repeatedly denied he had any plans to leave. "These are the most difficult days and we're worried the coming days will be even more difficult," Sanaa resident Ali al Mujahid, 42, said. "We want them to solve their conflicts and leave us to live in peace."