Syria (and Beyond) Live Coverage: Intervention is Here

A funeral in the Khalidiaya section of the Syrian city Homs --- the six victims are wrapped in shrouds because there are no coffins left amidst the deaths and regime siege

See also Syria Special: Intervention is Coming --- So How Should It Be Done?
Syria (and Beyond) Live Coverage: A Meeting in Tunis

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1815 GMT: We are taking a Saturday night break, but we will be back at 0600 GMT with the latest news from the Middle East and North Africa.

1800 GMT: One of the protests at today's funerals in Aleppo, Syria's second city (see 1148 GMT):

An anti-regime protest in Taibat Imam, Hama Province today:

1745 GMT: The Syrian State-run Al Thawra newspaper has sharply criticised Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal, who said during Friday's "Friends of Syria" gathering in Tunisia that weapons and ammunition should be given to insurgents fighting the Assad regime.

Al Thawra said that al-Faisal had become a "direct partner in shedding more Syrian blood": "It's shameful for the vocabulary of the Saudi speech to reach this level...and to announce so rudely support for terrorists."

1655 GMT: The Local Coordinating Committees of Syria report that 75 people have been killed today --- 31 in Homs, 19 in Hama, 13 in Idlib, seven in the Aleppo suburbs, and five in Daraa.

1625 GMT: Residents leave their homes and move amidst the rubble of the Khalidiya section of Homs in Syria:

Syrian State TV's presentation of the Red Crescent's evacuation of wounded from Homs:

1510 GMT: Demonstrators in Bahrain have been burning tyres to protest the life sentence on human rights activist Abdulhadi Alkhawaja, who is in the third week of a hunger strike --- video from Saar:

And the sky above Abusaiba:

1505 GMT: Footage of yet another group of soldiers defecting to the insurgency in Idlib Province in northwest Syria:

And a Free Syrian Army insurgent helps people find shelter in Homs during regime shelling:

1435 GMT: Activists of the Local Coordinating Councils of Syria report that 45 people have been killed today --- 21 in Homs, 15 in Hama and its suburbs, six in Aleppo and its suburbs, and three in Idlib.

The 22nd straight day of shelling of Baba Amr in Homs:

1315 GMT: On the day that Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi was inaugurated President of Yemen, a car loaded with explosives has killed at least 26 people and injured dozens as it was driven towards a Presidential palace in the southern city of Hadramout.

1305 GMT: A demonstration in Al-Maleeha in Daraa Province in southern Syria, "We will remove you traitor":

1155 GMT: Video of yesterday's mass opposition march in Bahrain:

1148 GMT: Footage of a large demonstration at a funeral in Aleppo, Syria's second city, this morning:

1138 GMT: Injured journalists Edith Bouvier and Paul Conroy have refused to be evacuated from Homs until a diplomatic or Red Cross official arrived to escort them and they could be guaranteed that they weren't being treated preferentially over Syrians.

A friend of Bouvier said she had been in direct contact, and the two journalists, injured in Wednesday's shelling of the Baba Amr media centre, would not leave without the assurances. Bouvier said many Syrians have endured injuries for more than a month without outside medical assistance.

1130 GMT: Bill Laws of the BBC reports on a long-running story in Bahrain:

Fearful of arrest when seeking treatment in Bahrain's hospitals, injured protesters are turning for help to medics who have been forced underground....

Sixteen-year-old Mohammed al-Jaziri was seriously injured when he was struck in the face with a tear gas canister on February 18, in the Bahraini village of Sitra....

What is said to have happened next to Mohammed illustrates why so many Bahraini Shia protesters are afraid to seek help in the country's hospitals....

His elder brother Hussein says Mohammed was taken to a local clinic by police. From there an ambulance took him to the Salmaniya Medical Complex, the main hospital in the capital Manama.

Hussein says that within ten minutes of arriving police attempted to interrogate his brother who had been hit in the eye and was bleeding heavily.

Throughout that night, Hussein says, the police repeatedly attempted to interrogate Mohammed, even though he was only semi-conscious.

"I told them: 'Please just leave us alone. Can't you see he is in no condition to answer your questions?'"

The next day, Hussein alleges, his brother was subjected to a three hour interrogation by a public prosecutor who refused to give the family his name.

"We need to get him out of Salmaniya. He urgently needs an operation on his eye but we don't trust them," Hussein said.

Hussein is hoping his brother can get treatment in a private hospital but believes Mohammed will lose the sight in one eye.

1120 GMT: Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi has been inaugurated as Yemen's President, formally ending Ali Abdullah Saleh's 33 years in power.

After taking the oath, Hadi said in a speech that Yemen must draw a line under the crisis and tackle pressing issues such as Yemen's economic problems and bringing those displaced by the crisis back to their homes: "If we don't deal with challenges practically, then chaos will reign."

1110 GMT: Activist "Sammy" in Homs in Syria reports this morning, "Explosions today occur in most regions here in Homs, not only Inshaat & Baba Amr. Gunfire hasn't ceased since dawn. The number of people [who] been evacuated by Red Crescent in Baba Amr not exceeding a family,among hundreds of families [who] are trapped. Shelling by Assad iforces on Bab Amr is still on; it's 11:48 am (0948 GMT).Pray for your families."

A rally in Hama Province this morning in support of the people of Homs:

1030 GMT: Activists in Bahrain report another death from tear gas. A housewife in North Sehla, Abda Hussein, suffocated from gas fired inside her house last night, passing away this morning.

0800 GMT: Yemen's outgoing President Ali Abdullah Saleh is now back in the country after medical treatment in the US.

In this video, Saleh, who will be replaced today by Vice President Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi after 33 years of rule, thanks the "wise people" and "loyal military institutions" of Yemen, while accusing his opponents for causing the crisis that beset his regime last year:

0650 GMT: Reuters updates on the case of Saif al-Islam Qaddafi, son of the deposed Libyan leader, who is still awaiting judgement three months after he was captured.

The militia from the town of Zintan still hold Qaddafi, despite calls by the International Criminal Court for trial outside the country.

"Zintan people must keep him for now because Tripoli is not ready to keep him safe. Outside Zintan, he could be kidnapped or killed," said one resident, chemistry teacher Bilgasim Abdallah.

The National Transitional Council said two weeks ago that Qaddafi would be moved to a Tripoli prison within two months and then face trial.

0640 GMT: The International Committee of the Red Cross says it has evacuated 27 women, children, and wounded from the Baba Amr neighbourhood of Homs In Syria.

French reporter Edith Bouvier and British photographer Paul Conroy, injured in Wednesday's attack on the Baba Amr media centre, were not among the evacuees.

A spokesperson for the Red Cross said negotiations in their case were under way.

0630 GMT: Beyond Friday's death toll --- at least 97 people killed. including another citizen journalists --- beyond the confusion over the Red Cross's attempt to evacuate wounded from Homs, and beyond the posturing at the "Friends of Syria" meeting in Tunisia, this moment of clarity....

Intervention is not just on the way. It is here.

The opposition Syrian National Council, recognised by representatives of the more than 60 countries at Tunisia, was letting that be known, even before the meeting. Outlets such as Al Arabiya, Reuters, and the Financial Times were told that night-vision goggles, bullet-proof vests, medical gear, and communications equipment were being supplied to insurgents by "international allies".

Politics will dictate that foreign actors are reticent about the aid. However, it appears that the regime's deadly siege of Homs may be a "game-changer". The issue is not if outside forces will raise their involvement in the Syrian conflict, but how they will do it.

This morning, we offer two analyses, by Michael Hirsh and Anne-Marie Slaughter, of the situation and the possibilities.