Syria (and Beyond) LiveBlog: Assad "Is Not Indispensable"

1526 GMT: Four American journalists in Egypt were arrested yesterday in Suez while filming anti-government protests. According to the report, they were arrested by civilians and then turned over to the military. Jason Mojica, a former Al Jazeera reporter, two of Mojica's crew, and Egyptian-American energy consultant Sherif Helwa were detained.

1518 GMT: As crowds grow near the cabinet building, Tahrir Square, Cairo, the Guardian's Jack Shenker assesses the reaction to the SCAF speech:

"That sort of language, coupled with the fact that companies in downtown Cairo appear to have sent their employees home early (we don't yet know if this was on official orders or not), has led some to believe that the state is preparing an attack on the ongoing Tahrir sit-in - many activists are using social media sites to call on Egyptians to come down and defend the square. But at this stage predictions of trouble are rumour and conjecture.

"Elsewhere shouting matches have broken out on live television between protest representatives and army officials; whatever happens over the next few hours, it's clear that there are two competing visions of Egypt's revolution being put forward, by the revolutionaries on the one hand and the armed forces on the other - both increasingly view the other as illegitimate, and neither are showing any sign of backing down."

1511 GMT: Meanwhile, the Revolution Youth Coalition has held its own press conference, calling for the resignation on Prime Minister Essam Sharaf. They have accused Sharaf of being counter-revolutionary, and have condemned today's statements by The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF). According to Ahram News,

"The coalition listed four demands in its statement: a full delineation of the powers and prerogatives of the SCAF and those of the cabinet; administrative participation in the current transitional period; the adoption of economic policies favouring Egypt’s 40 million living under the poverty line; and a complete purging of remnants of the Mubarak regime from all state bodies."

The crowds in Tahrir Square are still growing, according to multiple sources.

1502 GMT: In contrast to the earlier conciliatory comments made by SCAF, Maj. Gen. Mohsen el-Fangary has said in a televised message that the government will take “all necessary measures” to halt challenges to the authority and legitimacy of the government. Furthermore, though the SCAF spokesman pledged support to the revolution, he also warned that the military would stop “anyone who would disrupt public order and services.”

Reading between the lines, the message was, at first, a pledge of support to the protesters in Tahrir Square, but then it was also a warning that the military is reserving the right to end "disruption." SCAF has also defended military trials, arguing that there was no other system in place. The threat here is that, until civilian oversight is restored, the only power brokers that are making decisions (like deciding what is protected protest and what is disruption) remains the military.

1446 GMT: In Yemen, Sheikh Ali Jaber al-Shabwani's tribe attacked the oil pipeline in Marib province in protest against an air-strike-gone wrong in 2010. Shabwani will now permit the pipeline to be fixed, potentially easing the oil crisis that has been rocking the Yemeni economy since January's unrest.

1433 GMT: Video, reportedly taken from a protest this morning in Deir Ezzor, Syria. The man with the megaphone chants insults to President Bashar al-Assad, including ""Ya Bashar, you coward, you agent of America... leave Bashar." We don't think we've heard that one before, and the message is muddled (equating the US with Bashar?) but the crowd only seems to repeat the last part, "Yalla leave Bashar."

1419 GMT: In Egypt, the Supreme Council for the Armed Forces (SCAF)is holding a press conference. They have renewed their commitment to a democratic transition, a drafting of a constitution that "satisfies all Egyptians," and they have renewed their vows to support and respect the people of Egypt.

The conference is ongoing, but Al Jazeera's Sherine Tadros, who is in attendance, has this early reaction:

"Very conciliatory words from SCAF, the message is basically: we're with you, not against you, in this revolution."

1409 GMT: Libyan rebels go on the offensive with 4x4 trucks equipped with machine guns and anti-tank weapons at Soug Al Thulatha, near Zliten.

1355 GMT: Colonel Gaddafi will not take part in formal talks between the Libyan regime and the rebel National Transitional Council. However, French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe is saying that Gaddafi is willing to leave power, and he is in talks with many countries, despite the lack of formal negotiation.

1350 GMT: Al Jazeera is reporting that there are thousands of people protesting in Tahrir Square, as the Egyptian military responds to both the pritests and the anit-protester violence:

"Over the past 72 hours we have now seen two statements from the Prime Minister Essam Sharaf and the statement that was released today by the Supreme Council of Armed Forces (SCAF), neither of those statements seems to have done anything to alleviate the anger that exists among the protestors," Mohyeldin said.

1246 GMT: The Guardian is reporting that, on Sunday, 35 defecting soldiers were attacked by Syrian military forces while crossing into Turkey, and 17 were killed. The Syrian military is claiming that those killed were soldiers attacked by terrorists, but Human Rights Watch disagrees with this assessment:

1232 GMT: Staying with Egypt, a group of men armed with knives and clubs have attempted to break up a sit-in taking place in Tahrir Square, Cairo. According to Al Jazeera,

"The men approached the square from two side streets, and attempted to enter the square forcefully while bypassing a civilian-operated checkpoint.

"Eight people have been injured, and the protesters have apprehended two of the attackers. The military has been called in to detain the suspects."

The Egyptian Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) has released a statement in response to the event, swearing to protect the civilians and the nation.

1229 GMT: James Miller reporting for duty. With Scott traveling, it's time to get caught up. I'll start my news day with Egypt.

On the Sinai Peninsula, gunmen have destroyed an natural-gas pipeline that supplies Israel and Jordan, the 4th such attack this year. The attack, in the town of El-Arish, injured a security guard and his family.

While no one has claimed responsibility for the attack yet, previous attacks have been blamed on Bedouin tribesmen who don't recognize Egypt's 1979 treaty with Israel.

0600 GMT: Claimed video of a rally on Monday in Homs:

0500 GMT: We begin this morning by noting a statement from US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, ""President Assad is not indispensable and we have absolutely nothing invested in him remaining in power. Our goal is to see that the will of the Syrian people for a democratic transformation occurs."

The declaration appears to be another step away from an American vision of a resolution of "reform" in which Assad could retain power. The visit of the US Ambassador, Robert Ford, to the protest centre of Hama, last Thursday/Friday is taking on even more significance as an American declaration that it will back the continued challenge to the regime.

Clinton's statement followed a push-back by regime supporters who again surrounded the US Embassy and, briefly, Ford's residence. The State Department said the embassy building was damaged and the US would claim compensation.

Pro-Assad demonstrators also gathered for more than three hours at the French Embassy, breaking windows and replacing the French tricolore with the Syrian national flag. French Ambassador Eric Chevallier said the protesters had used a battering ram to try enter the building.

Three embassy staff were hurt, according to the French Foreign Ministry, which added that security officers had been forced to fire live warning shots "to prevent multiple intrusions into the compound".

Of course, the main question is not whether the US and France believe President Assad has lost legitimacy, but whether the Syrian people believe so and are able to act upon that belief. The regime's trumpeted conference for "national dialogue" has been extended to a third day, with general statements on the "reform" of constitutional amendments and laws on the media and political parties.

Meanwhile, the ritual of protests continues. Claimed footage of a Monday night rally in the Barzeh section of Damascus:

And the Qaboun district of the capital: