Syria, Bahrain (and Beyond) Live Coverage: End of a Red Ramadan

2340 GMT: Syria. Since this morning, a rumor, pushed initially by Russian media RT, spread that a high ranking Syrian general had died in a Russian hospital. Syrian State Media denied the story, and there have been debates and rumors all day as to the identity of the dead general.

Now, an activist who has a great rack record lately posts this report:

BREAKING | The high ranking military person who died in a Moscow hospital is of Jamil Hassan, Head of Air Force Intelligence Directorate.

— ♕The 47th♕ (@THE_47th) August 20, 2012

A German news agency is also carrying the report that Jamil Hassan has died.

We have to stress that this rumor is completely unconfirmed.

2320 GMT: Syria. A note on our last update - Bashar Fahmi, one of the missing journalists, apparently works for Alhurra, described as "a United States-based Arabic-language satellite TV channel funded by the U.S. Congress that broadcasts news and current affairs."

More information on what happened today (noted, this is still unconfirmed):

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The Latest from Iran (19 August): The Regime Looks for a Boost

0800 GMT Supreme Leader Watch. Appearing at the Eid al-Fitr prayer today, Ayatollah Khamenei declaring the ascendancy of Islamic countries, “Issues of the Muslim world are unique. Developments of the Muslim World are strange and shocking and chart the course of Muslim nations in the future.”

The Supreme Leader described the US and Israel as enemies of the Islamic nations and cautioned against any “analytic blunders", as plots against Muslims are getting more and more complicated.

0525 GMT: Sanctions Watch. The US Government has stepped up pressure on its Iraqi counterpart over sanctions on Iran through an article in The New York Times:

Some current and former American and Iraqi officials, along with banking and oil experts, say that Iraqi government officials are turning a blind eye to the large financial flows, smuggling and other trade with Iran. In some cases, they say, government officials, including some close to [Iraqi Prime Minister] Maliki, are directly profiting from the activities.

“Maliki’s government is right in the middle of this,” said one former senior American intelligence official who now does business in Iraq.

In announcing that he was “cutting off” Elaf Islamic Bank [last month], Mr. Obama said it had “facilitated transactions worth millions of dollars on behalf of Iranian banks that are subject to sanctions for their links to Iran’s illicit proliferation activities.”

But the treatment the bank has received in Baghdad since it was named by Mr. Obama suggests that the Iraqi government is not only allowing companies and individuals to circumvent the sanctions but also not enforcing penalties for noncompliance.

Iraqi banking experts said last week that the bank was still allowed to participate in the Iraq Central Bank’s daily auction at which commercial banks can sell Iraqi dinars and buy United States dollars. These auctions are a crucial pathway for Iranian access to the international financial system. Western officials say that Iran seeks to bolster its reserves of dollars to stabilize its exchange rates and pay for imports.

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Syria Video Special: Prayer & Protest on the Feast of Martyrs

Heavy security presence at a checkpoint today in Idlib:

In Hama, soldiers can be seen outside a shop. The camera man describes them as looting, though if that is so it happens out of the frame. Gunfire can be heard in the distance.

The dramatic part comes at the end of the video. Right before the video ends, a soldier levels his AK-47 to shoot at the camera man:

A large security presence deploys in Khalidiya, Homs:

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