Syria (and Beyond) LiveBlog: "Bring Your Tanks Here"

A crowd in Al Bab chants, in sympathy with the besieged residents of Syria's third-largest city, "We are a Part of Homs, Bring Your Tanks Here"

See also, Syria 1st-Hand Video: Activist Rami al-Jarrah (Alexander Page) Tells His Story

Syria Video Feature: Challenging Assad...With Puppets (Marrouch)

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2205 GMT: While the LCCS reports that 21 civilians have been killed by Syrian security forces, the UN Human Rights chief, Navi Pillay, was reporting that the death toll has likely eclipsed 5000 since the start of the conflict.

More than 14,000 people are estimated to have been detained and 12,400 have fled into neighboring countries, Pillay was to say, according to details of her briefing to the Security Council obtained by AFP.

Today's deaths were reported in Homs, Hama, the Damascus suburbs of Douma and Kanaker, and Idlib. Beyond this, we've seen evidence of intense fighting near Daraa, and more evidence of a military assault against Dael and the city of Daraa.

But the protests have also continued. While there are reports of protests in many cities that we've come to expect, there are also unconfirmed reports of protests in Aleppo.

Just another night in Syria.

2155 GMT: There were protests today in a central square in Benghazi, Libya, that was the site of the first protest against former leader Muammar Qaddafi. Residents of the city are increasingly frustrated with Musfata Abdel Jalil, the head of the National Transitional Council, because of a "lack of transparency" and comments that he made suggesting that the country pardon Qaddafi supporters. On Saturday, Jalil suggested that in order to move forward the country must be willing to pardon Qaddafi's fighters, a statement which sparked some protest:

"Despite what the army of the oppressor did to our cities and our villages, our brothers who fought against the rebels as the army of Kadhafi, we are ready to forgive them," Abdel Jalil said.

"We are able to forgive and tolerate," he added.

But in response to Monday's protests, Abdel Jalil called on Libyans to be patient.

"I want to reassure Libyans that a lot will be done. Be patient," he said, promising more transparency.

"The NTC will start its own website on which the list of its members and the activities of the NTC will be made public."

Other outside groups are also worried about the NTC's lack of transparency, and to say that things are not going smoothly is an understatement. Since the death of Qaddafi, the NTC has struggled to unify a deeply divided country, quell tribal frictions, and rebuild the nation.

That said, it is too early to count the NTC out. Several hundred protesters in Benghazi is a far cry from the nationwide protest movement that came to be before Qaddafi turned his forces on his people in February.

2143 GMT: Activists report protests in several villages across Bahrain tonight. This picture was reportedly taken in Karzakkan:

1923 GMT: This video was reportedly taken today in Dael, Daraa, where a tank can be seen firing into the city:

1916 GMT: What was Qaddafi's secret weapon? African migrants and smugglers. Who was the "smuggling mafia?" Qaddafi's regime. Now that the Qaddafi regime has fallen, so have many of his secrets. Al Jazeera reports:

1907 GMT: A disturbing report from the LCCS - Activists report that this hospital in Hama, in Hader district, is being occupied by Syrian security and "shabiha," who are using the building to fire on the city below, as well as the surrounding districts. Of course, this is the largest hospital in the area, so anyone wounded by the firing would have to be treated elsewhere. Activists report that, for the most part, all hospitals are not safe, and for the last several months more and more injuries are being treated in field hospitals, often in homes or abandoned warehouses.

1903 GMT: As brave as he is, not all activists are as lucky as Rami al-Jarrah. Syrian blogger Razzan Ghazzawi, who was arrested earlier this month, is being charged with three crimes:

Her charges include “establishing an organization that aims to change the social and economical entity of the state” and “weakening the national sentiment, and trying to ignite sectarian strife.”

The 30-year-old activist, one of the few to go by her real name in Syria, is known by friends and colleagues for being outspoken. So far, more than 4,500 people have joined the Facebook page "Free Syrian Blogger& Activist Razan Ghazzawi."

Ghazzawi was born in the US and studied in Damascus and Lebanon.

See our separate feature, Reflections on Razan Ghazzawi, Now Detained

1759 GMT: As we've been reporting, the identity of activist Alexander Page has been compromised by Syrian security forces, and he has now revealed his true identity, Rami al-Jarrah. What we now know if that Rami was arrested early on in the uprising, he was "mildly tortured," and this weekend Qatar nearly sent him back to Syria, which would have had terrible consequences.

Rami credits his Twitter followers for saving him from that fate. We have posted his interview with Al Jazeera in a separate feature:

See also, Syria 1st-Hand Video: Activist Rami al-Jarrah (Alexander Page) Tells His Story

1738 GMT: Back from a quick break.

This video was reportedly taken in the Bab Tadmor district of Homs today. According to the description, artillery shells explode, snipers fire, the gunfire is nearly constant - another day in Homs, where the LCCS reports 13 were killed today:

According to the latest tally by the Local Coordinating Committees of Syria, 21 people have died nationwide, "including 4 women and 13 children. Of whom, 13 martyrs fell in Homs, 3 in each of Hama and Damascus suburbs (Kanaker and Duma) and 2 in Idlib."

1631 GMT: Sometimes, a video of nothing is also impressive. The LCCS translates the description of this video:

Daraa: The entire Faculty of Education is on strike.

This is potentially significant, as unrest is likely to increase at universities if the faculty is also involved.

1614 GMT: Already, that last report is out of date, as now as many as 18 may have died today.

LccSy: 16 martyrs were killed until now with security forces and regime army fires among them 4 women and 2 children. 11 of them were in Homs, 3 in Hama, and 2 in Idlib

Not included in that number is a report of a man killed in Douma, an important Damascus suburb, and a defected soldier who was "executed" in Kanaker, southwest of Damascus.

Even closer to the capital, LCCS reports a security campaign in Daraya:

Heavy and widespread security; entrances to the town are blocked on the west side. Security forces are conducting close inspections on all passing vehicles.

1609 GMT: The LCCS is reporting that 13 people have died across the country, 10 of whom died in Homs, 2 in Hama (we have videos of the funeral below, and a graphic video has surfaced that shows their bodies), and 1 in Idlib. According to the LCCS, 4 women and 2 children are among the dead."

1356 GMT: An activist has uploaded pictures that claim to show a student protest outside Insha't university in Homs:

According to the activist, protesters in Homs did not vote, but held their own "elections."

This report cannot be verified.

1537 GMT: It's very hard to get a reliable read on how high or low the turnout in Syria has been. Activists report that the turnout is very low, while SANA and regime defenders suggest that it is very high.

We do, however, have this video which reportedly shows opposition members burning Election ID cards in Ghadfa, Idlib:

1529 GMT: This dramatic video was reportedly taken today in the Bab Sbaa district of Homs. We cannot verify the date or location:

1446 GMT: Bahrain's King Hamad, and the leader of Bahrain's primary opposition political party, Sheikh Ali Salman of the AlWefaq party, are both in the UK to discuss reforms following the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry report. The difference? King Hamad is meeting with British Prime Minister David Cameron, a meeting that, according to the BBC, neither the UK government nor the King Hamad wanted to make public. Salman is, so far, mostly speaking to reporters.

Many Bahraini activists are enraged that Cameron has met with King Hamad, but Sheikh Ali Salman has said that he wanted to meet with the King in order to negotiate potential reforms:

Sheikh Ali Salman, leader of the al-Wefaq party, told the BBC's Frank Gardner he wanted to keep the monarchy.

He said that, unlike many in the opposition, he did not want an end to the ruling Al-Khalifa family, just a constitutional monarchy and democracy.

So far, what the media coverage has missed in all of this is the story that PR firms linked closely with the Bahraini government have links to Western media organizations and some influential western officials, and King Hamad's private meeting with Cameron is only throwing gasoline on the fire of conspiracy theories.

See Also, Bahrain Opinion: "Loonies" and The Sins of Bell Pottinger
Bahrain Special: 4 More Revelations about Qorvis, the Regime's PR Firm.

1436 GMT: The Guardian's Ian Black reports that Syrian defectors may be fighting with the Syrian army near Daraa, where a large military campaign has been reported:

Opposition sources reported army operations in the southern province of Deraa, near the Jordanian border.

Sana, the state news agency, reported three members of the security forces killed in a clash with what they described as a "terrorist gang". Four terrorists were also killed, it said.

1424 GMT: According to activists, even Aleppo is not immune fro the general strike. The description of the video says that this was taken today on Jamiliah Iskenderun street, in Aleppo, the second day that the city has seen strike:

1418 GMT: A large protest at a funeral in Halfaya, Hama. The sign held in front of the camera has today's date:

1403 GMT: The Damascus suburb of Madaya is reportedly shut off from the outside. LCCS reports that electricity and communications have been cut, and the city is surrounded by security forces.

Madaya is very close to Zabadani, a city that was under heavy attack by Syrian security forces yesterday after protests were held yesterday.

1356 GMT: The Local Coordinating Committees of Syria report,

"Army and security forces have shot to death 8 martyrs, among them 3 women. All victims were in Homs.

Sadly, LCCS also shares this video, as three of the dead, including a young child, are reportedly all members of the same family:

1349 GMT: How's the general strike in Syria going? This was reportedly taken in Midan, a typically bustling hub of commerce just south of the center of Damascus:

1338 GMT: James Miller takes the liveblog.

France has accused Syria of conducting a roadside bomb attack against a French military convoy in Lebanon, injuring 5 soldiers. According to French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe, the French believe that Hezbollah, acting on orders from Damascus, conducted the attack:

"We have strong reason to believe these attacks came from there (Syria)," Juppe said on RFI radio. "We think it's most probable, but I don't have proof."

France has arguably been the most outspoken European advocate for foreign intervention to end the crisis in Syria.

1250 GMT: Sheikh Ali Salman, the leader of Bahrain's main opposition group Al Wefaq, has said that he is willing to sit down with the King Hamad to discuss "serious political reform".

Salman said that his aim is not the removal of the ruling Al Khalifa family but a constitutional monarchy and democracy.

The comments come as King Hamad meets British Prime Minister David Cameron in London, in a visit promoted by the Foreign Office and the BBC as one offering support for reforms after the report of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry on the regime's crackdown on protests from February (see 0655 GMT).

Activists in Bahrain have posted a montage video for the five-day-old baby girl who apparently died from inhalation of tear gas used by security forces to disperse a protest on Friday.

1010 GMT: Still waiting for word on the progress of local elections in Syria today. State news agency SANA has said that about 43,000 candidates are competing for more than 17,000 seats in councils, posting this photograph as an indication of turnout:

0655 GMT: Bahrain's King Hamad meets British Prime Minister David Cameron, and the BBC, through its security correspondent Frank Gardner, is offering enthusiastic support.

On the BBC's flagship radio programme this morning, Gardner --- twice --- praised the King for his "bold steps" in ordering the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry and acting on it through the replacement of the "hard-line" head of security. He said that the King and his immediate family were the "moderate reformers" among Middle Eastern leaders.

Gardner also offers praise in the guise of analysis on the BBC website.

The BBC's endorsement appears to be the spearhead of a British Government approach which has quickly shifted from criticism to a welcome for the King after the publication of the BICI report: "A Foreign Office official said Britain was now keen to help Bahrain on the path to democratic reform."

The Bahraini regime is not as happy with Nick Kristof of The New York Times, who was briefly held by police --- and used Twitter to document the experience --- as security forces tried to disperse a protest with tear gas and rubber bullets this weekend. The Gulf Daily News condemns:

Our country has been wracked by trauma for the past 10 months and our sanity tested as we grappled with some of the most serious challenges Bahrain has ever faced. But despite all that has happened, it's our old friend Nick who steals the spotlight --- "tweeting" away as he gets high on tear gas and Molotov cocktail fumes in Sitra.

0600 GMT: In Bahrain, the prominent story during the day was the demonstration by dismissed workers in front of the Minister of Labour; however, this was overtaken by news that a five-day-old girl may have suffocated because of tear gas inhalation when security forces tried to disperse a crowd in Bilad Alqadeem on Friday. Cartoon Ali Albazaz portrays the incident:

0555 GMT: There was a rush of concern last night as Alexander Page, a prominent Syrian activist, was held at Doha Airport in Qatar and threatened with deportation by an official.

Page's forced return to Syria would likely have meant detention or worse --- he fled the country in the autumn, after his identity was compromised, and is now based in Cairo.

After more than three hours of discussion and some negotiation, Page was allowed into Qatar by the authorities. He simply noted, "I would like to thank everyone for the support they gave me."

0545 GMT: Reports and video on Sunday testified to the success of a general strike in many areas of Syria, including the famous Old Souk in Homs. Damascus appears to have been a notable exception. However, there were reports of some stoppages in Aleppo, the country's second city, as well as demonstrations in nearby towns: