Syria (and Beyond) LiveBlog: The Regime's Dilemma in Hama

Claimed footage of a protest last night in Hama, telling the President, "To Hell with You, Bashar"

2015 GMT: David Smith reports for The Guardian of London, "Tripoli: A Stronghold by Day, A Battleground at Night":

Anecdotal evidence suggests that there are now regular night-time clashes in the Libyan capital. .

The raids have turned parts of Tripoli, a city with no shortage of privately owned firearms, into a no-go area after dark. The man, who said he has stocked up on diesel in readiness for "zero hour", added: "Normally wedding parties go on until 2am, but now they finish at 8pm. No one goes out after sunset. They all stay at home."

2010 GMT: There has been unrest in the Egyptian city of Suez, after a court upheld the release on bail of policemen accused of killing 17 people during the uprising against the Mubarak regime.

Hundreds of family members of the victims attacked police cars and pelted the court building with stones.

Only one policeman, tried in absentia, has been convicted in more than a dozen court cases over the deaths of nearly 850 people in the regime crackdown on protesters. On Tuesday, seven policeman were acquitted in a hearing in Cairo.

Activists have called for a million-strong demonstration on Friday in Cairo's Tahrir Square to call for justice for those who died in the uprising.

2005 GMT: Several activists on Twitter are reporting that Libyan rebels attacked from Al-Qawalish, which they captured today, and have advanced to Al Asabaa City, part of the major city of Gharyan. There is even a report that Gaddafi's forces have fled to the far side of Gharyan, pillaging and burning as they fled.

Gharyan is one of the last major hurdles on the way to Tripoli from the southwest, as it is a very large city that was expected to be heavily defended. NATO has been striking the city for several days. If this report is true, it puts Gaddafi's forces with their backs against the wall, only 50-70 km from Tripoli.

1930 GMT: There is a report that Colonel Gaddafi has ordered the closing of all mosques on Friday, and all prayer services are to be held in Green Square. It is unclear whether Gaddafi will speak, but post-Friday prayer protests are a major theme of Arab Spring, and it is also possible that Gaddafi is trying to avoid anti-government protests in light of recent rebel advances.

1838 GMT: We've received many reports today of new Grad rocket and artillery attacks against the city of Misurata, Libya. We were surprised, then, to hear reports of a large rally in support of the rebels, demanding the departure of Colonel Gaddafi. Below, we've posted video of tens of thousands of people, citizens of Misurata, sending a clear message to Gaddafi that they are not afraid, and they certainly are not backing down.

1820 GMT: Rebels have advanced another 7 km towards Zlitan in the east overnight. They are now 13 km from the center of the city. However, 14 rebel fighters were killed and another 50 wounded in clashes on that front.

To the southwest of Tripoli, rebels have taken the village of Al-Qawalish. They are now holding positions that are only 100 km (60 miles)from the capital city. Rebels there are planning on advancing to the large city of Gharyan, on the main highway to Tripoli (left-center of map below).

This map was updated by Feb17.info yesterday.

1800 GMT: The Bahraini government has assured FIFA officials that one of their athletes, Mohammed Hubail, has not been sentenced to a two-year sentence related to Arab Spring protests. According to Bahraini officials, no athletes have been punished.

1758 GMT: An update on clashes outside of the Security building in Suez, Egypt. 7 police officers have been released on bail, and hundreds of angry protesters protested outside, throwing rocks and attempting to gain control of the building. Security is now in place, but the situation is very tense.

A total of 14 officers are facing charges related to the death of 17 protesters and the injury of over 300 in the Red Sea city.

1636 GMT: 14 rebels have been killed in fighting near the city of Misurata, Libya.

1610 GMT: A reliable activist, Robert Rowley, is reporting that Gaddafi forces are conducting heavy shelling of Misurata, but the rebels are still holding their positions in the market despite the Grad rocket and artillery assault.

He is also claiming that Libyan rebels are using tanks to attack Gaddafi forces near Nalut, in the west. He is reporting that 2 Gaddafi vehicles have been destroyed near Ghazaya. We are unable to verify that report, though we do know that the rebels have been discouraged from using captured tanks in the field due to risk of NATO mistaking them for Gaddafi's forces.

1559 GMT: An activist is reporting increased activity in and around Damascus:

"Security forces returned to raid the city of Dameer after it withdrew yesterday - this is due to continuing night protests of residents. 300 were arrested in Dameer (Damascus Suburb), including Raghdan Watar who is mentally disabled and in need of special care."

Also, the crackdown continues in Idlib province, north of Aleppo. Several sources are reporting gunfire in Ihsim and the villages of Safra and Baleem, where casualties are also reported.

1535 GMT: Al Jazeera reports from Zintan, southwest of Tripoli, where the rebels are prepared to push east.

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The Guardian is reporting that as forces in Zintan push east, the rebels in Misurata are pushing west towards Zintan, effectively putting Tripoli in a pincer. An eyewitness in Tripoli has this assessment:

"I think the inevitable fall of the regime... is not far away. There are a number of different diplomatic and political pathways to achieving our goal of ousting Gaddafi. Our objective is very, very simple: Gaddafi his regime and his family must leave power immediately."

However, NATO has not recieved any indication that Gaddafi is ready to step down. Libyan officials are staged to prosecute 21 rebels in adsentia, including the head of the NAtional Transitional Council, Mustafa Abdul-Jalil, a clear sign of defiance.

1512 GMT: New Zealand journalist Glen Johnson has been deported out of Yemen to the UAE after having been detained for several weeks. Johnson, so far, has reported that he was not harmed during his detention. He was arrested while covering a story about human trafficking from Africa to the Middle East.

1449 GMT: Al Jazeera posts this video from the protests in Suez, Egypt, where 147 police have been released on bail. (see update at 1758)The policemen are accused of killing protesters, and many in the video are family members of victims.

1436 GMT: Reuters has a report that dozens of people have been arrested in Hama. Perhaps even more relevant is the report that some of the tanks that have surrounded the city have redeployed, with the security forces focusing on the protection of the Baath party headquarters, the police headquarters, and the state security building. This is perhaps a sign that, despite the crackdown, the regime is still afraid of the people of Hama.

Activists are now reporting that 23 people have been killed in the last 24 hours in Hama, as a protester who was injured yesterday has passed away.

1417 GMT: In Egypt, riots have broken out in Suez after seven fourteen police officers, accused of killing protesters during the uprising before the ouster of President Mubarak, have been released on bail. hundreds have advanced on the security headquarters, and some are pelting the building with rocks.

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/liveblog/egypt-jul-6-2011-1705

1410 GMT: Reuters is reporting that the Libyan rebels have captured the village of Al-Qawalish from pro-Gaddafi forces after a 6 hour battle. The village is south-east of Tripoli.

1355 GMT: Clashes have broken out in the Yemeni city of Taiz. The pro-Saleh troops have been shelling the city for several days, and have focused on the northern villages surrounding Taiz this morning. The government has been claiming that these actions have been justified because armed anti-government gunmen are living in the area. Now, gunmen supporting the protesters have exchanged fire with the soldiers. It is unclear whether the armed fighters have been there all along, or whether the people of Taiz are starting to take up arms because of the shelling.

Meanwhile, seven fighters and one soldier have been killed in Zinjibar, in southern Yemen, where Islamist militants have clashed with security forces. Two fighters have also been arrested.

Since the uprisings have begun, the Yemeni government has reported that the militant insurgency in the south has been on the rise.

1333 GMT: An photojournalist in Yemen is reporting that the Youth are holding a rally in Change Square, Sana'a, to demand a transition of power.

1328 GMT: An activist in Syria reports that the power and water, which have been off for more than 6 hours in Hama, have been restored to some areas.

1322 GMT: James Miller takes the helm...

Al Jazeera is reporting that members of the Yemen Republican Guard Corps, headed by President Ali Abdullah Saleh's son, Ahmed, have defected. Members of the 310 unit, including the commander, have joined the protests.

1145 GMT: Insurgents say at least 11 people were killed and 57 more wounded on Tuesday by regime shelling of opposition-held Misurata, 210 kilometres (130 miles) east of Tripoli.

Sources said five fighters were killed at the western entrance to the city earlier in the day.

1105 GMT: According to Nadam Houry of Human Rights Watch, Hourani hospital in Hama in Syria treated 60 people injured by gunfire yesterday. Seven remain in critical condition.

1040 GMT: Al Jazeera English's report on the conflict in Hama in Syria:

0930 GMT: In Egypt, three rights groups have taken legal action against the head of the armed forces over the case of a woman, tried in a military court, who says she was abused and forced to undergo a virginity test.

The woman was one of 17 female protesters rounded up on 9 March when the army cleared demonstrators from Tahrir Square in Cairo.

The groups --- the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, the Nadeem Centre for the Rehabilitation of Victims of Violence and Torture and the Hisham Mubarak Law Centre --- said she "was exposed to the worst kinds of humiliation, torture and violation to the sanctity of her body to the extent of inspecting her virginity within view and earshot of army prison workers".

0920 GMT: The Wall Street Journal reports that prominent opposition figures have received e-mail invitations to be part of a 100-person discussion on "national dialogue" in Damascus on 10 and 11 July. According to the invitation, "all topics are open to negotiation".

0905 GMT: Ammar Qurabi of the Syrian National Organisation for Human Rights claims, "At least 22 people were killed in Hama and more than 80 wounded, some of them seriously" on Wednesday.

Qurabi said troops had entered the Al-Hurani hospital and "a large number of Hama residents have fled either to the nearby town of Al-Salamiya or twoards Damascus".

The State news agency SANA claims one policeman was killed and 13 injured "by armed groups who opened fire on them and used Molotov cocktails and nail bombs". The groups allegedly set up roadblocks and burned tyres in several areas of Hama.

0820 GMT: AFP reports that Libyan insurgents have launched an assault on regime positions 50 kilometres (30 miles) southwest of the capital Tripoli.

The attack is in the Gualich area, in the plains north of the opposition position in the Nafusa Mountains.

0550 GMT: The Bahrain Center for Human Rights expresses concern over athletes who have been arrested or suspended since the start of the February uprising.

Forty Bahraini lawyers have declared that they will represent political prisoners for free.

0545 GMT: Al Jazeera English reports on the rebuilding of civil authority in the town of Jadu in Libya's western Nafusa Mountains after the expulsion of the regime.

0445 GMT: Dominic Evans of Reuters concisely summarises:

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad faces a dilemma over the city of Hama, crushed by his father a generation ago and now slipping beyond his control.

If he lets protesters stay on the streets, he will see his authority ebb away, but if he sends tanks into the city still scarred by the 1982 massacre, he risks igniting far wider unrest at home and deeper isolation abroad.

At the moment, the regime's "solution" appears to be the halfway measure of sending in troops and gunmen for raids in and around Hama, Syria's fourth-largest city. On Tuesday, activists named 15 people who had been slain by security forces.

Meanwhile, Amnesty International says it has proof of crimes against humanity in the military's occupation of towns and villages in the north, specifically in the town of Tel Kalakh.

Amnesty, drawing from witnesses, claimed security forces fired indiscriminately on civilians when they took over the town on 14 May, killing eight. Scores of men and boys were arrested, and most were allegedly tortured. Some of them are still in detention.

Protests continue throughout the country. On Tuesday, women demonstrate on Baghdad Street in Damascus:

And a night protest in Ma'arat Numan in the northwest: