Ali Abdullah Saleh said Thursday if he resigns as president of Yemen and his top rivals take over "this will lead to a civil war.". In an interview with The Washington Post and Time magazine, Saleh blamed Maj. Gen. Mohsen Ali al-Ahmar and the Ahmar tribe -- a group not related to the general -- for recent violence. He said they are attacking military targets and killing protesters so the deaths will be blamed on the government. Saleh gave his first interview since he returned to Sanaa last Friday after months of medical treatment in Saudi Arabia. He was severely injured in June in an attack on his compound. Gen. Ahmar and leaders of the Ahmar clan should not be allowed to hold office or military leadership positions in any successor government, Saleh said. "Because if we transfer power and they are there, this will mean that we have given into a coup," he said. "If we transfer power, and they are in their positions, and they are still decision-makers, this will be very dangerous. This will lead to civil war."