Bahrain, Syria (and Beyond) LiveBlog: The "Forgotten" Protests That Never Went Away

Body of a 16-year-old, Ali Alsatrawi, lies next to the police jeep that hit him last night in Bahrain

---

2205 GMT: Egyptian State media are reporting that one person was killed and 676 injured in today's clashes in Cairo.

2105 GMT: Video of Said Qaddafi, captured today, on the plane to Zintan:

Click to read more ...

Syria (and Beyond) LiveBlog: What Will Happen With Today's Protests?

2123 GMT: According to the LCCS, 22 people have been killed today in Syria, including 4 children, 7 civilians in Daraa, 6 in Homs, 5 in Hama, 4 in people in the Damascus Suburbs (2 in Irbee, and 1 in Yabroud and Daraya.)

2110 GMT: According to Now Lebanon,

A YouTube video purportedly filmed on Friday in Homs shows protestors during an evening march with one demonstrator carrying a paper saying: “The people want support [to be offered to] the Free Syrian Army and Arab protection.”

Click to read more ...

Syria Special: "Phase 3" --- Consolidating the Opposition, Moving to Armed Conflict

Members of the Free Syrian ArmyNeither Emile Hokayem nor EA is saying that the peaceful protesters will pick up arms and join a civil war. What we may be looking at, however, is a situation with similarities to Yemen, where a militarised wing of the opposition begins to attack the regime in order protect a peaceful protest movement.

In any case, the Free Syrian Army is clearly growing and is more organised and far more aggressive. The protests are still large and widespread, and the rate of military defections appears to be accelerating. This third phase, a bloody phase, may be the decisive one.

Click to read more ...

Syria (and Beyond) LiveBlog: A New Phase in the Conflict

2115 GMT: Several of EA's sources are reporting that rolling electricity blackouts and oil shortages are getting worse across Syria, but some are saying that Aleppo, because of its high electricity and oil usage, may be hit the hardest. Now Josh Landis shares this story on Syrian Comment, where the full impact of sanctions is rapidly becoming clearer:

A friend writes that his parents cannot find cooking gas in Aleppo. The replacement bottles for the stove are unavailable in the market. Mazoot, or fuel-oil, which is used to heat homes, power taxis and farm equipment is also absent. Aleppo authorities also warn that extended electric cuts are coming due to lack of power. Syria is facing a cold winter. Older people are standing in lines to get small containers of mazoot filled. The Syrian pound has fallen to 54.25 to a dollar.

2112 GMT: Our favorite fight of the day now has subtitles (see update at 1943 GMT).

2105 GMT: This young Bahraini girl was reportedly arrested with her family at a recent march. She speaks to a large crowd (with English subtitles):

Click to read more ...

Syria (and Beyond) LiveBlog: More Die as Embassies Are Stormed

Police clash with protesters after breaking up a march in Nabeeh Saleh in Bahrain on Friday night

---

1955 GMT: One protester was killed and 12 others injured on Sunday when Egyptian security forces clashed with protesters staging a sit-in for the sixth day against the expansion of the MAPCO-Agrium fertilizer plant in Damietta.

Confrontations began on Saturday night and continued into early Sunday morning, with security forces using tear gas bombs to disperse protesters.

Click to read more ...

Syria, Bahrain (and Beyond) LiveBlog: And There Will Be Marches....

2118 GMT: The cynics said that the Syrian President was trying to buy time when he signed a deal two days ago with the Arab League. Today, the Syrian people tested the claims made by the regime, taking to the streets in nearly every major city and in every region across the country.

And now we have our answer from the regime: as many as 25 civilians are dead.

For two days, the video evidence, verified by shots of newspapers, protest signs, landmarks, and comparison against eyewitness accounts, has pointed towards a single conclusion. The Syrian military regime, led by Bashar al Assad, has no interest in negotiating, reforming, or ceding power. Today the regime sent two messages, as it showed that if you surrender then you may be spared, but if you continue to resist, we will shoot.

The first message was sent via State TV (SANA), but the regime has so little credibility that the US State Department advised Syrians not to take up Assad's offer of amnesty. The second message was sent with weapons, troops and tanks --- the instruments that the regime has used all along.

So, we have a return to a tag line we've written many times since March. The protesters, undeterred by violence, refuse to give in, the people want the "fall of the regime," and the regime, thus far, refuses to fall. So...what happens next?

Click to read more ...

Syria, Bahrain (and Beyond) LiveBlog: Back on the Streets?

An anti-regime protest in Zabadani, outside the Syrian capital Damascus, last night

See also,Bahrain Feature: The Freedom Torch Protests
Syria Video Special: Today's Protests Across the Country

Bahrain Propaganda 101: Foreign Minister Gets a Boost from Washington's Journalists
Thursday's Syria, Yemen (and Beyond): Child Martyrs and Broken Promises

---

2230 GMT: Upset at the disqualification of a political party for "irregularities" from Sunday's election, a crowd of protesters allegedly tried to attack the regional government headquarters today in Sidi Bouzid, Tunisia, the birthplace of the Arab Spring. Police reportedly fired into the air to disrupt the protests:

2221 GMT: Al Jazeera is now reporting that today's death toll in Syria has topped 40. The other significant development? Most of the protesters were killed in Hama, adding credibility to details that EA reported earlier.

Click to read more ...

Syria, Yemen (and Beyond): Child Martyrs and Broken Promises

1952 GMT: It may not look like much, but this video could be significant. The LCCS reports that this was taken in Kafar Zeta, Hama, and the cameraman holds sign with today's date. There have been reports of defections in the area, and gunfire can be heard in the city. The scene is otherwise quiet, suggesting that whoever is shooting is not shooting at protesters. Also, at one point tracer fire can be seen, suggesting that this conflict is more serious than the gunfire in the foreground. It appears that fires can be seen in the distance:

1949 GMT: Activists report a large evening protest in the Damascus suburb of Harasta:

1940 GMT: The video claims to show that Assad's supporters were actually bused to the event in Lattakia today. From the details in the video, there is no way of verifying that report:

Click to read more ...

Syria, Yemen (And Beyond): Switching From West to East

The scene at the "victory party" outside of the Al Nahda party headquarters in Tunisia

---

2216 GMT: A protest in the Damascus suburb of Zamalka tonight:

And a march from the Al-Rifai mosque in Kafarsouseh:

Click to read more ...

Syria, Yemen (And Beyond): Two Cities Burning in Two Countries

Houses burn after they were lit on fire, reportedly by regime supporters, in Ahlbit in Syria's Idlib Province on Monday

See also Syria Video Special: Homs is Still Burning
Yemen Feature: Drones & the Killing of an American Teenager
Monday's Tunisia, Libya, Syria (and Beyond) LiveBlog: Election, Liberation, Protest

---

1920 GMT: A couple of the protest videos from Syria tonight --- the Ghouta and Qosour districts of Homs:

Click to read more ...