Bahrain Feature: The Clouds of Tear Gas and Death Gather Once More

Clouds of tear gas cover Dar Kulaib village last night

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Yesterday began as just another day in Bahrain, from cool to mild. By night, however, things had gone cloudy across the country --- clouds which signalled tear gas rather than impending rain. On the latest occasion in two months, Bahrain's protesters found themselves beaten back and collectively punished, not just on the streets but also inside their homes. Despite the regime's proclamations of "reform" and "national dialogue", since December, the situation has gone from bad to worse.

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The Latest from Iran (27 January): Pilgrims and Soldiers

A photo of five abducted Iranian "engineers", with their Syrian cook --- are they the five captured "Iranian soldiers" shown in a video from Syria?

See also Syria Video Special: Free Syrian Army Captures "Iranian Soldiers"

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2119 GMT: Warning the Supreme Leader. Earlier this month Hossein Alaei, the former Revolutionary Guards commander, caused a stir with an article implicitly warning the Supreme Leader against the consequences of repression. Twelve Guards commanders called Alaei an agent of the enemy and an angry crowd gathered outside his house and defaced it, while other former commanders and some conservative politicians defended him.

Now Alaei has put out another statement, in Jomhouri Eslami, about dictatorships. This one, however, is carefully worded to avoid accusations that the former commander is challenging Ayatollah Khamenei. He states that dictatorships have come to an end, referring to the 1979 Islamic Revolution, and continues that "dictators cannot rule with tyranny".

2059 GMT: The "Iranian Soldiers" in Syria. The Iranian Embassy in Syria's Press attaché, Leva'a Roudbari, has declared that none of the seven Iranians held by the Free Syrian Army are in the military, “The kidnappers’ claims is baseless."

Roudbari, in an interview with Syrian State TV, also appeared to say that two of the seven men would be released, "Iran welcomes the kidnappers’ decision to free two of the kidnapped engineers.”

In statements to Reuters (see 1932 GMT), members of the Free Syrian Army said that, while the first five Iranians seized were not engineers but were snipers assisting the Assad regime's military, the two men who came to Syria to enquire about them were civilians.

There is a curiosity in the article with Roudbari's statement, however. The six men in the accompanying photograph, shown in a power plant, do not appear to be match up to the "engineers" seized in Syria.

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Bahrain, Syria (and Beyond) Live Coverage: A Blanket of Tear Gas, A Battle in Homs

2240 GMT: An EA correspondent in Bahrain reports that Sitra looked like a "war zone" today:

"Sitra was heavily attacked today I spend the time trying to get trapped people out. People who are not from Sitra doesn't know all the inner roads..I had to drive around trying to get some of them out... [because many roads were blocked by police].

"This used to be kind of safe before police started attacking and hitting the cars! Today finished fine, so let's hope I keep on being lucky!

"I am getting news that there are some searious injuries too...but can't check now since it's late."

Our correspondent also sends us a video that he describes as a montage of the police attack on mourners in Waydan village. Several other sources also reported that the video was legitimate:

2230 GMT: This video was reportedly taken earlier today in Daraa, Syria. It is important for several key reasons. First of all, it's dramatic:

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Syria 1st-Hand: Getting Behind the Stories of "Revolution" (Aissa)

Claimed footage of a crowd in Homs greeting defecting troops of the 4th Brigade

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Given the weaknesses of all the Syrian opposition and activists groups at present, however, it is critical to avoid even the suggestion that the opposition could transform into something of a monolithic force in the near future. This discounts the reality of its divisions and the significance, both symbolically and practically, of debates between its members. To that end, it is also unrealistic to expect Syrian dissidents and activists in and outside of the country to develop, agree upon, and advance a plan for the overthrow of the regime and the subsequent political reconstruction of Syria, in a matter of months. Syrians have spent some four decades under the depoliticization program of the Baath Party, unable to organize or openly discuss the political future of the country. For those inside Syria, the onset of the revolution has shattered the barrier of fear keeping many from expressing their views - but it has done nothing to mitigate the reality that those attempting to organize against the government, do so under threat of violence. Even in the best of circumstances, such issues would take months and years to sort out.

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US Opinion: Do Drones Undermine Democracy? (Singer)

In democracies like ours, there have always been deep bonds between the public and its wars. Citizens have historically participated in decisions to take military action, through their elected representatives, helping to ensure broad support for wars and a willingness to share the costs, both human and economic, of enduring them.

In America, our Constitution explicitly divided the president’s role as commander in chief in war from Congress’s role in declaring war. Yet these links and this division of labor are now under siege as a result of a technology that our founding fathers never could have imagined.

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Syria Video Special: Free Syrian Army Captures "Iranian Soldiers"

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UPDATE 1705 GMT: The Iranians in Syria. Press TV claims, from "a tribal figure in northern Lebanon", that five Iranians --- engineers, according to Tehran; soldiers, according to the Free Syria Army, who seized the men --- have been moved to the area.

Press TV does not indicate if two other Iranians, who were seized when they tried to obtain information about the missing men, have also been relocated.

The Al Farouk Brigade, which claims to hold the five Iranians and put them on a video which was released last week, is based in Homs, near where the men were abducted.

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Syria, Bahrain (and Beyond) Live Coverage: Insurrection?

See also, Syria Video Special: Free Syrian Army Captures Iranian Soldiers

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2133 GMT: Bahraini police have released claimed footage, released by Bahraini police, of 17-year-old Mohammad Ebrahim (see 0555 and 1700 GMT), who was allegedly hit by a police jeep on Wednesday and later died in hospital.

The video shows an alert Ebrahim, but he is in great discomfort, apparently from pain in his lower body, and needs to rest on the person next to him; also pain seems to be stemming from lower part.

This would appear to match up with the video we posted this morning, where Ebrahim appears to be limping away after being struck by the police jeep.

Curiously, the video --- like the one released by police earlier this month in which they denied beating activist Nabeel Rajab --- has no sound, limiting what we can learn of the incident.

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The Latest from Iran (26 January): Tehran Issues an Oil Warning

See also Syria Video Special: Free Syrian Army Captures Iranian Soldiers
Iran Feature: How Do You Cope with Award-Winning Director Farhadi?
An EA Special: Taking Apart Talk of "War With Iran"
Wednesday's Egypt, Syria (and Beyond) Live Coverage: A Year After the Uprising

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2109 GMT: An EA Special --- The Syrian Front. Some context for the claimed footage, posted on EA tonight of five Iranian soldiers who were captured by the Free Syrian Army while operating inside the country.

Hours before the footage was posted, Press TV reported, "A group of armed militants have attacked an Iranian bus on the road connecting the capital, Damascus, to the northwestern city of Aleppo."

Press TV said 11 male "pilgrims" were kidnapped and taken to an unknown destination, leaving behind the women.

The website further says, "The gunmen contacted the relatives of a kidnapped passenger in Tehran, confirming the abduction of the Iranian nationals and demanding a ransom."

No direct connection has subsequently been made to the claimed video.

2105 GMT: An EA Special. EA's Josh Shahryar has provided English subtitles to a video, in Farsi, that reportedly shows Iranian soldiers inside Syria who have been captured by the Free Syrian Army. Shahryar says that he is certain, based on their accents, that these men are Iranian.

See Syria Video Special: Free Syrian Army Captures Iranian Soldiers

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Iran Feature: How Do You Cope with Award-Winning Director Farhadi?

Maya Neyestani: "Asghar, take your award and run before Madonna kisses you!"

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Iranian director Asghar Farhadi has been on a roll lately, winning the Best Foreign Language Film awards at the BFCA [Broadcast Film Critics Association] and the Golden Globe. He is on his way to the Oscars. But while many in Iran are congratulating Farhadi and celebrating his success, this has infuriated the hardliners....

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Bahrain 1st-Hand: Journalist Lamees Dhaif "I Can't Be Silent Knowing My People Are Being Oppressed"

Lamees DhaifI can't live my life knowing that my own people are being oppressed like this and I'm not saying or doing anything. I am a successful journalist and I had a bright future.

But I have thrown that away. I don't care about my future anymore. I care about those people. They are giving their lives, hoping for a better future - not for them, for their coming generations.

And what Bahraini people are doing is very brave. Bahraini people are really brave and they deserve for the world to see how brave they are. They are people who have nothing to defend themselves and they are facing the money of the petrol and the armies of many countries, and yet they are standing with their heads high and saying: "We will not obey. We will not go back."

Bahraini activist and journalist Lamees Dhaif speaking to Maia Newley

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