Libya, Yemen (and Beyond) LiveBlog: Hanging On

1957 GMT: Protesters gathered for a fifth day in Deraa, Syria, where authorities have arrested a leading opposition figure, Louai Hussein. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that, "his house was broken into. The door was smashed. His fate is unknown." 

Hundreds gathered under very tight security, and the AFP is reporting that their photographer and videographer were attacked by security forces.

Perhaps the most important news, however, is the rumor that the region's governor, Faisal Kalthoum, has been fired, which was one of the demands of the protesters. This has not been confirmed. 

1930 GMT: Al Jazeera English's James Bays filed this report earlier today from the front line outside Ajdabiya in eastern Libya. He reports an attack near his position and says, "No one really is making any progress. The opposition are where they were 24 hours ago....They are lightly armed volunteers....A professional officer on the rebel side told me they're very brave but to the point of being suicidal. Gaddafi forces are much more heavily armed. The opposition have the numbers and they seem to have the momentum but on the other side the Gaddafi forces have the power."

1915 GMT: Thanks to James Miller for taking the LiveBlog through the afternoon.

Libyan State TV is claiming live coverage of the capital under fire, with the presenter saying, "Tripoli is being bombarded now." The sky was lit with fire and the sound of anti-aircraft weaponry could be heard.

The Daily Telegraph's Rob Crilly, who first saw the wreckage of a crashed US fighter jet --- an F-15 Eagle --- today (see 0955 GMT) reports that six Libyan locals were shot and injured by a US helicopter as it rescued one of the two crew near Benghazi. One young boy is expected to have a leg amputated.

Witnesses say regime forces have maintained their assault on opposition-held Misurata, 210 km (130 miles) east of Tripoli, today.

Al Jazeera claims the commander a regime brigade, Hussein al-Warfali has been killed near Tripoli.

A resident of Zawiya, 55 km (35 miles) from Tripoli, says that there are hundreds of troops on the street searching people, asking questions, taking away mobile phones, money, laptops, and memory sticks: "House-to-house searches are frequent and violent."

1634 GMT: Four Palestinians have been killed, three wounded, in an apparent mortar attack by Israeli Defense Forces in Gaza. On Saturday, over 50 rockets were fired into Israeli terriroty, at least 10 of which Hamas claimed responsibility for. Israeli air force attacked several rocket sites on Saturday afternoon.

The victims who were killed today wer aged 12, 16 and 17 years old. The 58-year-old owner of the house that was struck was also killed.

1610 GMT: Video of the fire at Egypt's Ministry of Interior (see 1513, 1540, and 1548 GMT):

1551 GMT: A resident of Zintan, Libya, is reporting that at least 10 people were killed by bombardment today. The BBC has this report:

Fighting in the western city of Zintan, near the border with Tunisia, has now subsided, an eyewitness has told BBC Arabic. The witness, Abdul, said: "Right now, it is calmer than it was in the morning, when there was fighting and shelling in the east of the city. Those Gaddafi forces have now withdrawn. However, 50 to 60 tanks have massed at the northern entrance to the city. Gaddafi's forces have also cut off the electricity."

1548 GMT: Sherine Tadros, a correspondant for Al Jazeera English, has this thought from Cairo:

Difficult to see how this fire could've been started by people outside the bldg when its the top floors that r on fire

1540 GMT: As the fire at Egypt's Interior Ministry continues to burn, the stories about how it started have begun to emerge. The Interior Ministry is saying that the fire was started by police, who were protesting at the time. Some sources have already suggested, however, that the fire may have been set by the ministry to burn documents.

We'll follow this situation as more details emerge.

1522 GMT: Al Jazeera is reporting that Western aircraft have attacked a pro-Gaddafi plane that was headed towards the rebel stronghold of Benghazi, Libya.

1513 GMT: Details are still emerging about the fire in the Egyptian Interior Ministry building in Cairo, by a source from inside the ministry tells Reuters, "It is likely to be related to the protests, but it is not the building of the ministry itself that is on fire."

This picture was just posted by a source in Cairo.

1505 GMT: Egypt - The New York Times' Nick Kristof is reporting that a "huge fire" can be seen at the Interior Ministry and smoke is rising over the city. No word yet on what has caused it.

1500 GMT: Who is killing civilians? The Western Libyan town of Misrata has been under attack by Gaddafi forces for five days. A doctor in the town is reporting that two children of his colleague have been killed by pro-Gaddafi forces. On the other hand, the Libyan government continues to report that air strikes have led to widespread civilian casualties as well.

The BBC also notes, however, that despite access to bombing sites by journalists, no videos of civilians killed or injured by these bombing raids have been released.

1454 GMT: Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh has announced that he will step down by January 2012, after elections.

A coalition of opposition leaders has stated that they do not accept this as a solution, because the next few hours will be "decisive." 

1452 GMT: In Yemen, a soldier for the regular army and a soldier for the Republican Guard, two forces that are fighting against each other at the moment, were both killed near the southeastern city of Mukalla.

1444 GMT: Al Jazeera's James Bays gives a report from a few kilometers north of Ajdabia, Libya. Half way through the video, we get a sense of some of the equipment that Colonel Gaddafi still has in play.

1140 GMT: Bahraini authorities have withdrawn the licences of the telecommunications and Internet provider 2 Connect, which was founded by Ibrahim Sharif, an opposition leader detained last week in the security forces' crackdown.

1130 GMT: A former Air Force commander is claiming that the UAE's retreat from flights in support of the coalition no-fly zone over Libya is because of concern over the situation in Bahrain.

Major General Khaled al Bu-Ainnain indicated that the UAE wanted to see a stronger stance by the US and Europe over alleged Iranian interference in Bahrain and instigation of protesters. He claimed the UAE was initially planning to deploy two squadrons of Mirage and F-16 fighter jets to Libya.

On Monday UAE officials said their contribution would be limited to humanitarian aid.

Al Bu-Ainnain said the UAE may be willing to reconsider its position if the West’s stance on Bahrain changes.

1125 GMT: The US military says the second crewman from the jet which crashed near Benghazi in Libya (see 0955 and 1030 GMT) has been recovered and is safe.

1050 GMT: Saleh tells his National Defense Council, "Winds shouldn't shake you."

1045 GMT: Yemeni President Saleh has said, in a speech to army commanders, that efforts to seize power via "coup" will lead to civil war: "The days of coups has ended, they (opponents) must seek power through democratic means. They must not terrorise the media."

Claiming that defectors are following a foreign agenda, Saleh calls upon the military leaders who have joined the protesters to reconsider their decision, apologising and returning to the regime's armed forces.

1030 GMT: The US military has confirmed news that a fighter jet has crashed in Libya (see 0955 GMT). One of the crew has been "recovered" and one is "in process of recovery".

1015 GMT: From the website of the Police Media Center of Bahrain's Ministry of Interior:

At the meeting HE the Minister affirmed the security forces’ efforts to restore stability in Bahrain and stressed that the results of such efforts were evident in all areas. He said that work had resumed in all vital government departments and private organisations, while citizens and residents were again enjoying normal lives with the resolve to get over difficulties and maintain security.

Ms Williams affirmed the need for Bahrain to maintain security and stability owing to the Kingdom’s importance in the stability of the region. She said that a dialogue was the best way forward to achieve national goals.

1010 GMT: In Libya, a witness reports renewed fire by regime tanks on the opposition-held city of Misurata, 210 km (130 miles) east of Tripoli.

1005 GMT: Writing in The Guardian, Adam Tarbah notes the moment when Libyan diplomats in the US decided to break from the regime:

We weren't sure what to think or expect until the day Gaddafi's son, Saif, appeared on Libyan TV and made his historic speech to the Libyan people and the world.

I call the speech historic because it made it clear to me and my colleagues in the Libyan mission to the United Nations in New York –-- and in other parts of the world too –-- that this man was as crazy and brutal as his father. Call us naive if you wish, but certainly a lot of Libyans were fooled by Saif's previous speeches on reform in Libya and were hopeful that a better future might be possible under his leadership.

Following Saif's speech, all my colleagues and I met at the mission and issued a declaration stating that we were defecting from Gaddafi's regime and that we condemned what the regime was doing to unarmed protesters in Libya. Judging from what we know of Gaddafi and what he is capable of behind closed doors, our aim was primarily to draw the world's attention to what is happening in Libya.

0955 GMT: Rob Crilly of The Daily Telegraph of London claims that he has found the wreckage of a US fighter jet --- an F-15E Eagle --- in an field in Libya. He says the pilot was found by the opposition and is safe.

0945 GMT: The reported negotiations in Sanaa between Yemeni President Saleh and his former ally, Major General Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar, appear to be complemented by a move Saudi Arabian mediation.

On Monday night, the Yemeni Foreign Minister Abu Bakr Al Qirbi delivered a message from Saleh to King Abdullah in Riyadh, requesting Saudi help in reaching out to the leaders of the opposition.

0835 GMT: Security forces quashed attempted protests in northern Sudan on Monday.

Police trucks were positioned in city centres and around university campuses after the Facebook group Youth for Change called for peaceful, nationwide rallies against the regime of President Omar al-Bashir.

In Wad Medani, 200 kilometres (125 miles) south of Khartoum, a group of around 200 students and civilians marched through the centre of town shouting, "We want freedom," and "We want regime change." Riot police fired tear gas to disperse the demonstrators and made a number of arrests.

Protesters chanting similar slogans at Khartoum's main bus station were scattered by riot police who used tear gas and beat them with sticks. Police vehicles surrounded univerisities in Omdurman and El-Obeid, and pro-government Islamist students at a rally at Khartoum University called anti-regime protesters "atheists" and agents of the US and Israel.

0810 GMT: AFP reports that two of its reporters and a photographer for Getty Images --- reported missing on Monday --- have been arrested by regime forces in Libya.

Chris McGreal of The Guardian writes about the failed charge of opposition fighters to "liberate" Ajdabiya --- minutes later, eight fighters were dead.

0800 GMT: BBC Arabic radio says An army officer and three soldiers have been injured in clashes between a military unit -- loyal to the "defecting" Major General Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar and a Republican Guard unit in Al Mukalla in Hadramaut Province. Tanks have been deployed at the entrance and on the main roads of the city.

0755 GMT: Mohammed Jamjoom of CNN claims, from a Yemeni official, that talks are underway between President Ali Abdullah Saleh and Major General Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar, who "defected" yesterday, for a transition.

The source says Saleh has accepted five demands and is awaiting a response from the opposition and the generals who left him yesterday: 1) The President's resignation by the end of 2011; 2)Protest without fear of violence; 3) A committee to investigate attacks against protesters; 4) Compensation of families of all protesters killed or wounded; 5) Implementation of constitutional and electoral reforms, including the removal of Saleh's family members from the armed services.

0730 GMT: Claimed video of protest in the Kurdish area of Syria on Monday (see Monday's updates for earlier footage from Qamishli) --- demonstrators mark New Year by chanting “God, Syria and just freedom” and “Freedom, freedom”:

0625 GMT: Claimed footage from Misurata in Libya showing the aftermath of the regime's assault -- the video is one of a number from a channel devoted to the situation in the opposition-held city:

0610 GMT: An example of the complications and hair-splitting in enforcing the no-fly zone....

The head of U.S. Africa Command, Carter Ham, told journalists on Monday, "We do not provide close air support for the opposition forces. We protect civilians." He continued that the coalition forces will not attack regime units if they are fighting insurgents or if the regime troops are retreating; planes will only fire if Qaddafi's men are assaulting "civilians".

But how can a pilot tell the difference? Ham said, "Where they see a clear situation where civilians are threatened, they have... intervened. When it's unclear that it's civilians that are being attacked, the air crews are instructed to be very cautious."

The General noted, "It's a very problematic situation."

0540 GMT: Telling footage from Bahrain soon after last week's crackdown by police and the entry of Gulf troops. As activist Nabeel Rajab --- who was briefly detained this weekend --- is being interviewed, protesters scatter in the face of an apparent advance by security forces. Shots are heard in the background:

0530 GMT: The New York Times claims that more than half of Yemen's ambassadors have resigned their posts. (We think this may be an exaggeration: Yemen has 52 Embassies, and we count the number of resignations during the crisis at 19 or 20.)

One of them, Khaled Ismail al-Akwa'a, explains his decision to leave as Ambassador to France and calls for President Saleh to step down to prevent a "very, very serious situation":

0515 GMT: At one point on Monday, I thought it was the end for Yemen's President Ali Abdullah Saleh. A dramatic rush of resignations and defections to the opposition was punctuated by the loss of six senior military officer, including two of Yemen's four regional army commanders. Foremost among those who quit was Major General Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar, a long-time ally of Saleh but now an apparent rival of Saleh's son to take charge in the country.

Saleh hung on, however. An emergency meeting of his closest advisors led to a statement by the Minister of Defence that the President was maintaining his authority.

In contrast to Libya, where other countries have lined up --- some with military power --- against Muammar Qaddafi, most are standing back from the Yemeni uncertainty. The US State Department confined itself on Monday to a direct statement about violence and a vague declaration on reform:

We are obviously very concerned about the violence in Yemen. The president condemned it on Friday. 

"We've made it quite clear that any Yemeni government needs to refrain from violence against nonviolent peaceful protesters. And any government has to support political change that meets the aspirations of the Yemeni people."

In Libya, the coalition airstrikes eased on Monday after the Sunday night wave that included a hit on Qaddafi's compound. There was a brief period of explosions and anti-aircraft fire in Tripoli last night. Two naval stations were reportedly struck.

The news on the ground was uncertain because of restrictions on communications. However, the opposition said 40 people had been killed in Misurata, Libya's third-largest city 210 km (130 miles) east of Tripoli, and there were reports of battles around Zintan in the northwest near the Tunisian border.

The strangest story was the claim, made by Sky News in Britain and Fox News in the US from "British sources", that British sources confirmed that another assault on the Qaddafi compound had to be scrubbed on Monday. Seven Storm Shadow missiles were to be fired from a British aircraft, but this was supposedly aborted Libyan officials had brought crews from CNN, Reuters and other media outlets to the area to see the damage from the first attack.

CNN correspondent Nic Robertson, who was one of the 40 journalists brought by the Libyan Ministry of Information to the scene, has hit back hard at Fox's claim that he and others were "human shields", but the basic claim --- that more attacks were planned against Qaddafi's base --- has not been denied.