Protest in Deir Bielbe section of Homs at sunrise
See also Tuesday's Libya LiveBlog: Disappearing and Re-Appearing Qaddafis
Syria Video Special: Assad Kills Protesters, but Can't Kill Protests
Israel-Gaza-Hamas Analysis: 4 Lessons from the Recent Conflict
Syria (and Beyond) LiveBlog: Meanwhile, In Another Uprising....
1915 GMT: This report via Al Jazeera:
"Six soldiers and an officer were killed and 30 others wounded when Al-Qaeda militants attacked the camp of the 201 Brigade in Dofes," south of Abyan, capital of Zinjibar, the officer said.
The attackers had used the cover of a wooded area around the base to approach a unit of the brigade and opened fire with rocket-launchers and automatic weapons.
An official from a military hospital that took in the casualties confirmed the toll.
On Monday, government warplanes killed six presumed al-Qaeda fighters in Arkub, another village in Abyan province, that they had seized a day earlier.
1439 GMT: Al Jazeera is reporting that 18 people were killed across Syria yesterday, mostly in Homs. They are also reporting that 55 tanks are deployed in Deir Ez Zor (matches our reports), and Syrian security forces are dropping troops, via helicopter, in al-Khowria.
1426 GMT: This is video of a new resolution, passed by the Syrian National Council, an exile group that has established in Istanbul, Turkey. According to Al Jazeera,
"We have given martyrs and some of us are injured... With all these efforts and sacrifices, as a result of this responsibility, a sense of unity has been formed," activist Ahmad Ramadan said.
"The council will convene in about two weeks to elect the chair and secretary... When it convenes it will adopt its bylaws," added Louay Safi, a US-based political scientist.
The dissidents declined to give out the names of council members and said the body, which brings together all opposition groups both from inside and outside Syria, will elect them after its first meeting.
"Coming together of all groups is a must despite all dangers. This delegation will bring different groups together," said Halis Halihi.
It is unclear, at this moment, whether the group actually represents the protesters in the streets of Syria.
1418 GMT: An activist has this report, which meshes with reports we;ve received earlier:
"Idlib: Khan Shekhon: heavy shooting by the military and security forces near Habeet town west of Khan Shekhon"
Today, after the UN Delegation left the city, the security forces swell, and the protesters are afraid:
1348 GMT: A funeral in Khalidiya, Homs, for Martyr Ayman Joud, killed yesterday after the UN Delegation left the city:
1335 GMT: At least 300 people have been arrested in a new wave of security crackdown in the eastern city of Deir Ez Zor. The LCCS is also reporting arrests and violence in the Damascus suburb of Zabadani, as well as in Idlib province. Al JAzeera is also reporting new activity near Daraa, in the south.
According to the AP, at least 7 people died in Homs yesterday.
See yesterday's coverage of violence there: Syria (and Beyond) LiveBlog: Meanwhile, In Another Uprising....
1328 GMT: There are reports of heavy Syrian security missions renewed in Deir Ez Zor, where large amounts of tanks are reported. More details when we have them.
This video, taken yesterday, shows a tanks shelling and firing heavy machine guns in the city of Homs.
1258 GMT: Reports of increased security presence in Hama. This video claims to show security buses traveling towards northwest Hama. The buses are often used for transporting Shabiha (plain-clothed militia) and police, and also used to gather prisoners. It appears to be a fairly significant convoy:
1252 GMT: Protests after Taraweeh Prayers, Al Rastan, Homs Governate:
1247 GMT: Another video has surfaced, a defiant Homs takes to the streets at a late night rally:
1242 GMT: According to the Guardian:
The US ambassador to Syria, Robert Ford, made a surprise trip to the town of Jassem in southern Deraa province today, residents said, his second visit since July to an area rocked by pro-democracy demonstrations. "He came by car this morning, although Jassem is swarming with secret police. He got out and spent a good of time walking round. He was careful not to be seen talking with people, apparently not cause them harm," one resident told Reuters.
1239 GMT: Scott Lucas has had a busy morning, so James Miller will try to get us all caught up.
The UN Human Rights Council launched a new commission of inquiry into Syria's crackdown on anti-government protesters, including possible crimes against humanity, despite objections by countries including Russia, China and Cuba.
The 47-member forum adopted a resolution presented by the European Union and the United States. The vote was 33 countries in favour with four against and nine abstentions. Libya's membership in the council was suspended earlier this year so it has no vote.
"The resolution is adopted," said Laura Dupuy Lasserre, Uruguay's ambassador who chairs the council.
0550 GMT: The dominant news in Syria on Monday --- albeit news missed by many in the mainstream media --- was the juxtaposition of a visit by a UN delegation, investigating the humanitarian situation, and the gunfire by Syrian security forces on demonstrators in Homs. Activists said at least three people were killed in the incident, caught on a series of dramatic videos (see Monday's LiveBlog and our separate feature).
We still await the reaction from the UN to the event --- a Western diplomat, perhaps stirring the pot, claimed, "There are grave misgivings in the UN delegation about continuing with this mission when the Syrian authorities move in after they leave a location and shoot dead those attempting to testify." However, there was another notable juxtaposition: the killings in Homs came as the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, was announcing that the death toll since the beginning of the 15 March uprising is now more than 2200. Pillay closed her statement:
Let me conclude by emphasizing the importance of holding perpetrators of crimes against humanity accountable. The Fact Finding Mission has found that such crimes may have been committed in Syria. It was against this backdrop that I urged the Security Council to consider referring the situation in Syria to the International Criminal Court. The people of Syria must be supported in their struggle for fundamental rights and freedoms and the Human Rights Council can play a vital role in that respect.
Perhaps even more important, however, was the reaction in Homs. Last night, as James Miller highlights in our Syria feature, the protesters were back on the streets.