Syria Live Coverage: How Will Protests Respond Today to More Deaths?

2048 GMT: Syria. Earlier, we heard a report that a mortar shell fell on a hospital in Douma, an important suburb just outside Damascus. Now, this video claims to show the heavy damage. It is unknown how many injuries or fatalities occurred as a result of this attack:

Hospitals in #Douma #RifDimashq being targeted by rockets & shells. youtu.be/8HC-u0B-vPQ #Syria

— Um Farouk(@Mou2amara) June 15, 2012

2008 GMT: Syria. I've been having a conversation with several bloggers, micro-bloggers, and activists about improvised weapons and mortars being used by the Free Syrian Army. It's clear that the FSA is increasingly finding ways of going on the offense against the Syrian military, not just the defense. However, the video below, apparently showing a remote controlled bomb, could indicate that the FSA is using more sophisticated weapons against Assad military convoys and checkpoints:

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Syria (and Beyond) Live Coverage: Protests Amidst the Regime's Assault?

2249 GMT: With nightfall, solid information from Syria is only harder to come by. However, with power and internet cut in many key areas, like Homs, and Zabadani and Madaya, good information has been hard to verify all day. We've been searching for many hours, for instance, but have not found a single video from Zabadani or Madaya, true testimony to how closed off and isolated those cities have become.

However, at the end of the day, there are two reports that have our attention, two reports which may be significant once day breaks. The first is from the Kafer Souseh district of Damascus, a key area very close to some major government buildings. The LCCS report large explosions in the area, of unknown origin.

The second potentially significant report come from the Irbeen district of Damascus. The CFDPC report that there is currently a gunfight between members of the Free Syrian Army and Assad-loyal troops. This video that they share shows the gunfire:

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Syria, Libya (and Beyond) LiveBlog: Prayers, Protests, and Pressures

View Syria - Friday 02/09/2011 in a larger map

Interactive Map of today's protests in Syria posted by The Syrian Uprising 2011 Information Centre.

See also, Syria Video Special: Death Rather Than Humiliation

Israel-Gaza-Turkey Special: Taking Apart the UN Report on the Attack on the Freedom Flotilla

Syria Video Special: A Protest Movement Renewed
Syria, Libya (and Beyond) Liveblog: Cracks in the Regime
Syria Special: The Resignation of Hama's Attorney General

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0030 GMT: Scott Lucas dropping in to post this video from Al Jazeera English of Friday's demonstrations by women in Martyrs Square in the heart of the Libyan capital Tripoli, celebrating the fall of the Qaddafi regime:

2007 GMT: That wraps up our liveblog for the evening. We will be posting analysis of today's developments in Syria, but the bottom line is that the opposition movement has taken some significant steps forward in recent days, and it has shown by how large and widespread the protests were today.

And they are far from over. We'll also collect more videos and reports and make those available soon.

Please tune in tomorrow, and enjoy our features (links above).

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