Yemen, Syria, Bahrain (and Beyond) LiveBlog: Celebration Amidst Uncertainty

Sunday protest in Safi in Morocco --- the crowd mourned Kamal Amari, allegedly beaten to death by police on Thursday

2047 GMT: We're wrapping up for the day. Tomorrow we'll try to untangle the story, from Syria, that 120 policemen have been killed. We'll follow up on the air campaign against Tripoli and the rebel advances near Zintan. We'll figure out if Saleh is going to return to Yemen, and we'll see if there is more fallout in Bahrain.

Thanks for reading. We'll be back tomorrow morning. 

2030 GMT: A Damascus lesbian-blogger, Amina Abdallah Araf al Omari, has been kidnapped, potentially be security forces, according to her cousin who has updated her blog. Her father cannot find her, and her family is attempting to contact police stations in Damascus to discover her location. 

2015 GMT: The U.S. State Department spokesman has stated that Syria is "clearly" behind the violence in the Golan Heights over the weekend, an effort to "divert attention from its own internal problems."

2005 GMT: More details from the AP on the claimed death of 120 police and security forces in Jisr al-Shaghour. A government spokesman said that the government lost control of the region for brief periods of time. The Minister of Interior, Ibrahim Shaar, has released a statement suggesting that the event will be a catalyst for an increasingly violent crackdown in the Idlib region: 

"We will deal strongly and decisively, and according to the law, and we will not be silent about any armed attack that targets the security of the state and its citizens."

Activists are suggesting, however, that all or most of the deaths in the region are unarmed protesters or soldiers who refused to fire on civilians (see updates below)

1937 GMT: Unarmed protesters fired upon near the Al-Yarmouk refugee camp in Damascus, Syria. 

1849 GMT: A source (reliable in the past) uploads this video, reportedly showing Syrian military reinforcing Damascus, taken at 3:30 local time today.

1822 GMT: Elsewhere in Syria, there are reports of protests. Protesters having a sit in near the Alnour hospital in Deiz Alzour were faced with heavy machine gun fire after a funeral for their martyrs. In Deiz Ezzor, there were many funeral processions but no signs of security. In Latakia, security forces attempted to attack the Masbah Al Sh;ab district, but they withdrew when people threw rocks. Elsewhere in Idlib province, tanks also bombarded Khan Sheikhoun at 6 pm yesterday, and there are reports that 20 were killed there.

Below, protesters gather to mourn Yaser Istandbuil in Jableh, Syria, before gunfire rings out.

1813 GMT: A source for Al Jazeera is claiming that there is no evidence of armed demonstrators in Jisr al-Shaghour, but he does report that security forces have killed many, and Syrian snipers shoot people from rooftops. 

Also, an opposition YouTube page is claiming to have video (Graphic) of Syrian soldiers who were killed for refusing to shoot civilians.

While there is no way of confirming the reports by the opposition, there has yet to be any evidence produced by the Syrian government to support its claim that 120 seucirty and police have been killed by armed protesters.

1752 GMT: Once again, we report that Syrian State TV is raising the alleged death toll in northern Syria by claiming that 120 police and security members have been killed in Jisr al-Shaghour.

An EA correspondent is highly sceptical of this claim. The security and police in the area are heavily armed, and 120 dead soldiers would be a fantastical claim for a major battle in Iraq or Afghanistan. Without any evidence to support the claims, the likelihood is these reports are part of a Syrian disinformation campaign that will be used to discredit the opposition, as well as being used as an excuse to use high degrees of force.

If these reports are true, they signal a major escalation, an opposition willing to fire back. More likely, they hint that the Syrian regime will step-up their military operations in the region. 

1740 GMT: The Libyan woman who accused the Gaddafi regime of gang rape, Eman al Obeidi, has arrived in Romania on her way to a "permanent location." Obeidi had escaped to Qatar, but was deported back to Eastern Libya last week, a move condemned the the US State Department and many human rights organizations. 

1736 GMT: Several sources in Sana'a have reported that power has been cut. Power has been on for over 48 hours, causing many to celebrate as there have been rolling blackouts since the crisis there began.

1707 GMT: According to Al Jazeera English, State TV is reporting that 80 police and security forces have been killed in Jisr al-Shaghour over the past two days, and the bodies have been mutilated, after security forces were attacked by "hundreds" of armed protesters. 

What's interesting is that what few sources are reporting from the area reported many clashes yesterday, but a relatively quiet day today. 

This is a developing story, and these numbers are impossible to verify at this moment.

1700 GMT: A picture of a protest in Egypt, 1 year ago...

1629 GMT: Back from a quick break to find an escalation... in the claims of Syrian state-run TV. While they initially reported that 20 were killed (we wrote 28, not sure where the confusion lies), according to the AP, Syrian TV is now reporting that 40 policemen and security officials have been killed in Jisr al-Shughour. 

The AP also notes that they have received unconfirmed reports that the residents of the village have begun retaliating against the Syrian security forces who have killed as many as 35 since Saturday.

1530 GMT: Syrian state-run TV is reporting that 28 soldiers have been killed by "armed groups" in the northern town of Jisr al—Shughour, where Syrian military forces have been conducting a military crackdown on dissent. 

According to the Syrian media, the soldiers are there to protect the residents from "armed gangs," an excuse the government has used in the past to shell cities and conduct raids against peaceful protesters. 

1515 GMT: More on the conflict in the Golan Heights - 

Israeli soldiers fired live ammunition at pro-Palestinian protesters yesterday, killing a disputed number of people, somewhere between 8 and 23. Syrian media is reporting the highest number, but the Israeli government is blaming the protests on the Syrian government, claiming that the protesters were actually paid to protest. Whether or not one believes that the Syrian government was involved, Syrian media has been highlighting the event as a way of distracting from their own protests.

Some analysts have noted that unlike protests in April, there were only protests along the border, potentially signifying a change in strategy on the part of the pro-Palestinian opposition. 

"If the border protests do continue, Israel is faced with a huge dilemma - maintaining control over its borders, while at the same time limiting casualties among the demonstrators on the other."

Protesters clash with Israeli security forces in the Golan Heights, June 5.

1500 GMT: Protests are reported in Taiz, Yemen, where tanks and small arms fire into Freedom Square, the gathering place of many of the anti-government demonstrators. 

1456 GMT: CNN reports that before Gaddafi forces withdrew from Benghazi, they released thousands of prisoners into the streets to spread chaos in their wake.

1432 GMT: Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Oman, The UAE, and Qatar have a plan to avoid further protests and improve their governments' standing with the people: hand out money. All of these oil-producing nations plan on raising subsidies and hand-outs in the next year. 

1413 GMT: Yemen's main opposition groups have called on the government to go ahead with the plan to transfer power to Vice President, in accordance with the constitution and the Gulf Cooperation Council plan.

1400 GMT: Pan-Arab newspaper al-Quds al-Arabi is claiming that President Saleh's sons are blocking the transition of power to Vice-President Hadi. The report notes that Ahmad Ali, Saleh's oldest son, controls the Republican Guard, and Saleh's grandsons control the national police and army. The latest report is that Saleh's sons occupy the Presidential Palace, while VP Hadi remains in the Defense Ministry, though this has not been confirmed.

1348 GMT: NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen has stated that the Libyan people can start planning for a post-Gaddafi country. According to Rasmussen, NATO has destroyed 1,800 military targets, including Fogh "some 100 command and control centers.. over 700 ammunition stores and almost 500 tanks, armored personnel carriers and rocket launchers."

Air strikes have damaged the State TV headquarters, the parliament building, and the Libyan intelligence headquarters. 

Al Jazeera's Cal Perry has this assessment of the changes on the ground:

"It's been a surprising morning, because what we have had are two static military fronts, one to the south of me and then one to the west of me - just east of Tripoli ... We understand that the fighting on that second front has been very heavy, there has been very little movement in the town of Misurata.

"But what we saw this morning was rebels rolling into a town just 100 miles from the capital, really on the doorstep of Gaddafi and all they found were Gaddafi positions that had been abandoned. There is video, photographs coming out of that town of Gaddafi forces seemingly just having disappeared to this rebel advance.

"Now it's unclear right now what propelled this breakthrough, was it perhaps NATO attack helicopters, was it perhaps the Warfala tribe that just a few days ago sided with the eastern rebel army, what propelled this to happen we still dont know. But what we do know is that the clock certainly seems to be ticking on Gaddafi. This is really the first challenge to the city of Tripoli that we have seen in about four months."

However, the NATO mission still has its detractors. Journalist Patrick Hayes tells a skeptical Russia Times that progress in Libya is a stalemate.

1335 GMT: Yet another video has surfaced, displaying plain-clothed men shooting at protesters. We noted at least 1 other video on Friday that showed a man shooting at the crowd with an AK-47. This was taken in Hama on Friday. 

1316 GMT: Despite much skepticism that President Saleh's departure is a real victory for the people of Yemen, a resident of Sana'a notes that the situation, at least in the short term, has improved:

"First time in 5 months, power is on for 48 straight till now. After days of 20+ hours blackout, this feels like a Guinness record."

1312 GMT: Al Jazeera reports on Libyan rebel forces training to take the capital city, Tripoli.

1300 GMT: It's still too early to claim that Arab Spring is spreading to Palestine, but renewed protests, and violence there, should not be ignored. Syria is claiming that 23 protesters have been killed by Israeli security forces in the Golan Heights during a pro-Palestinian rally. Israeli officials have accused Syria of exaggerating that number in an attempt to exploit the situation, and they claim that there are still ongoing protests in the area.

Meanwhile, Benyamin Netanyahu met with his cabinet to devise a strategy to confront these protests. During the meeting, he seemed to dismiss all protests as a threat:

"There are extremist elements around us who are trying to break through our borders and threaten our community and our citizens. We will not allow them to do so.

“I’ve instructed the security forces to act with determination, with maximum restraint – but with determination to maintain our sovereignty, our borders, our communities and our citizens."

Note - Thanks to the Guardian for these links. EA always tries to link to it's sources, unlike some live blogs.

1242 GMT: In Bahrain, 23 doctors and 24 nurses have been arrested and face charges. The medical officials who treated protesters injured in the government crackdown have been arraigned today, charged with "participating in efforts to topple Bahrain’s Sunni monarchy and taking part in illegal rallies." Some also faces charges of spreading misinformation (they reported on the wounds that their patients suffered at the hands of security forces).

Most of those charged were treating injuries at the state-run Salmaniya Medical Complex, which was besieged until it was taken over by military forces on March 15.

1227 GMT: A firefight at a military checkpoint and a continued tension and conflict between tribal forces and forces loyal to President Saleh have claimed 6 lives in #Sana'a, the capital of Yemen, over the last 15 hours or so. The military is maintaining checkpoints in and around the city, with a focus on the Hassaba neighborhood, controlled by al-Ahmar tribesmen. 

It is still unknown whether this violence will shatter the cease-fire, in place since Saleh left the country to undergo surgery in Saudi Arabia.

1222 GMT: The rebel advance in Libya has been slow and messy. The rebels are largely untrained, using inferior equipment to attack a larger, better trained, and better equipped pro-Gaddafi force. Still, rebels have been advancing in several key areas, they they have often required NATO air power to bail them out of these scrapes. The Telegraph's Robert Spencer, consulting with military strategists, offers this analysis:

"And that is how the conflict will proceed, the rebels picking fights with their better-armed Gaddafi loyalist enemies and then hoping for Nato back-up to even up the odds. It is likely to demand patience."

1212 GMT: Some important news in Libya - The rebels have captured the city of Yafron, part of an advance designed to put pressure on the capital, Tripoli. 

In recent days, the rebels have reported making progress in the area, and there is evidence that NATO air strikes and Apache helicopters may have been focusing on the region in efforts to eliminate the heavy artillery and rockets that have been stationed in the area.

1153 GMT: The media, and EA, usually focus on protests, gun shots, casualties and presidents, but in Yemen there is another, possibly even more destabalizing force at work. In the last two months, thousands of jobs have been lost, and the price of basic goods has risen between 60-300%. In the Gulf's poorest country, there is not far that the public can afford to fall.

11:45 GMT: With Professor Scott Lucas on the road, James Miller takes over the live-blog.

The Yemen Post News is reporting that Vice President Hadi has not entered the presidential palace since taking control after President Saleh's departure for medical treatment. Gregory Johnsen reports that this is because Hadi is in the ministry of defense and Ahmed Saleh, son of President Ali Abdullah Saleh, is in the palace. 

So who's in charge? Despite the celebration in the streets, the only clear answer is that the protesters are not.

0845 GMT: A video of images and testimony about the closing of the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and Gaza.

Egyptian authorities initially said last month that Rafah would be opened "permanently". However, visa restrictions were still in place on certain groups, notably adult men, and then the crossing was shut last week.

0840 GMT: US officials try to keep priorities straight over Yemen, feeding The Washington Post, "The flight of Yemeni leader Ali Abdullah Saleh to Saudi Arabia deprives the United States of a fitful ally in the fight against al-Qaeda’s most dangerous affiliate and injects new uncertainty into counterterrorism operations that were already hampered by the country’s bloody internal strife, according to Yemen and security experts."

0835 GMT: Eman al-Obeidi, the woman who tried to tell foreign journalists of her abuse and rape by Libyan forces, is on her way to the US, her sister has said.

Marwa al-Obeidi said her sister Iman was flown out of the opposition centre Benghazi early Sunday morning.

Eman al-Obeidi had gone to Qatar last month but had to leave the country last week, apparently after her visa expired.

0830 GMT: Journalists reported five explosions, apparently by NATO airstrikes, in the Libyan capital Tripoli overnight, but no details of targets or damage have emerged.

0705 GMT: A protest last night in Deir al Zor in northeast Syria:

0645 GMT: Reuters reports that a baby, presented to foreign TV crews as a victim of NATO air strikes by the Libyan regime, was in fact injured in a car accident.

A hospital staff member passed a note to a journalist exposing the deception.

The regime's media handlers had first brought reporters to the site of a crater at a farm on the outskirts of Tripoli, where a man said his dog and several chickens had been killed by a missile strike on Sunday.

0525 GMT: Journalist Jeb Boone, writing from the Yemeni capital Sana'a, captures the theme of today's LiveBlog:

Should [pro-reform protesters] be so happy? Military checkpoints still dot the city; and, more ominously, soldiers of the Central Security Forces, the only Yemeni military branch that has remained ostensibly loyal to President Saleh, still roam the streets. Under the command of Saleh's eldest nephew Yahya, these men are known for their itchy trigger fingers. All along the city's major thoroughfares, Yahya's men stare intently at passing traffic, looking down the barrels of Russian heavy machine guns, mounted in the back of camouflage painted pickup trucks.

Drivers that are stopped are always asked the same thing, "Are you carrying any weapons," and the response is the same as well, "No, no weapons I swear to God," they say nervously, both hands on the steering wheel. Unlike his uncle, Yahya and his men have not left Sana'a. Nor has Saleh's eldest son, Ahmed, who is in command of the Republican Guard.

The continued presence of loyalist military units throughout the country has convinced some protest leaders that the celebrations may be premature. "I'm happy, yes, but I am I still very suspicious," said Adel al-Surabi, a long time protest organizer in the capital. "I'm just not sure of anything yet. No one really is," he continued.

0510 GMT: Bahrain's King has approved a budget of $16.44 billion over the next two years, a 44% rise in expenditure.

0445 GMT: Tens of thousands of people celebrated with chants and fireworks in Yemen's cities on Sunday, ecstatic over the departure of injured President Saleh for Saudi Arabia.

Yet, amidst the joy, the political and military situation remained far from clear. Reports circulated that Saleh's son Ahmed was actually in charge, not the Vice President-turned-Acting President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi. And the cease-fire announced between Hadi and the tribal opposition was punctured last night by gunfire and shelling.

In Syria, the cycle of protest, clash, and death continues. The latest flashpoint is Jisr al-Shaghour in the northwest, where at least 38 people were reportedly killed this weekend, but the reports --- despite the attempt of the Assad regime to quell both dissent and news --- are across the country. 

And even in Bahrain, where the monarchy appears to have put down mass protest, the evidence of opposition is still emerging. A series of videos offered testimony yesterday, with security forces dispersing gatherings during the day and religious ceremonies last night. We'll have a separate feature later this morning.

In Morocco, beyond the notice of most media, tens of thousands took to the streets in major cities, demanding reforms.