Syria (and Beyond) Live Coverage: The Regime's Offensive

Danny Abdel Dayem displays the destruction in Homs in Syria, flinching as a shell bursts nearby

See also Syria Live Video: Bab Amro in Homs Today
Monday's Bahrain, Egypt, Syria (and Beyond) Live Coverage: 1000s Gather for The Sit-In

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2126 GMT: Turning to Bahrain, a woman who was arrested for listening to a revolutionary song in her car has been released, and was greeted by a large crowd upon getting out of prison:

Fadhila al-Mubarak was detained during martial law last year at a checkpoint for listening to a tape praising a pro-democracy protest movement that erupted in February after uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia, Said Yousef al-Muhafda said.

Mubarak was sentenced to four years in jail for taking part in the Pearl Roundabout protests, inciting hatred of the government and insulting a public official, Muhafda said. The sentence was later reduced to 18 months and must still be appealed.

2025 GMT: This video, according to the Syrian Uprising 2011 Information Centre, was taken today, and shows the Assad military bombarding Zabadani (see updates below):

2017 GMT: According to the latest report from the LCCS, 35 people have been killed by Syrian security forces today, "including 4 women and 6 children. 2 of the martyred women are mother of 6 martyred children. The rest of the distributions are as follows: 19 in Homs, 10 in Damascus Suburbs (Madaya and Zabadany), 2 in Idlib, 2 in Daraa, and 2 in Aleppo."

What's important to note is that while the death toll in Homs is still the highest (though lighter so far today that it has been in 5 days), the suburbs of Madaya and Zabadani are also hard hit from the latest military campaign by the Assad regime.

2000 GMT: The extensive damage to the T-72 (below) in Zabadani was a bit of a mystery to us. To an untrained eye, it appears that this kind of damage would have to either be done from another tank, or perhaps an air strike. The damage to this tank appears to be more significant than other destroyed tanks that we've seen.

While we hunt for a tank expert, we have also discovered a very interesting video of a man who claims to have been captured, along with his tank, by the Free Syrian Army in Zabadani:

The man in the video appears that he is being questioned by members of the Free Syrian Army. He says that he is from Qardaha, and that his tank was captured in an ambush.

The video is hard to verify, but comes from an account that has checked out in the past. The ambush, or the captured tank, could be plausible explanations of how the previous tank was destroyed.

1937 GMT: James Miller takes the liveblog, with a major thank you to Scott Lucas for taking us through most of the day.

While focus in Syria may be on Homs, in Zabadani, 20 miles to the northwest of Damascus, the Free Syrian Army is attempting to protect the city from an assault from the Syrian army. Thus far, there have been reports that the city has been shelled for four days. However, two videos suggest that the Free Syrian Army is putting up some sort of resistance.

This video is impressive, and confusing. It shows the destroyed hulk of what appears to be a T-72 tank, a heavily armored behemoth. We do not know how the tank was destroyed, or what weapon could have done this kind of damage to a tank of this size.

The LCCS posts a different video with this description: "The FSA bomb one of the Regime's tanks in Zabadany." We're not sure how that description matches this video, but a line of tanks appears to be firing, and there are other gunshots that cannot be accounted for. There is smoke coming from two tanks, but that smoke could be exhaust, or just smoke generated from firing the main gun.

1905 GMT: Video of the bombardment of the Bab Amro section of Homs in Syria today:

1852 GMT: A first-hand report from an activist in Homs in Syria today:

On Tripoli Street, south-east of Bab al-Amr, there are 13 tanks belonging to the regime. To the east of Bab al-Amr there is a hill where the artillery is stationed. From the university compound, close to the area, they have moved out the students. From the high roofs of the university they put all the snipers. The snipers shoot anything that moves, even animals.

The district of Khalidiya is also under heavy bombardment. The Syrian army entered the city by tanks from areas loyal to the regime.

This morning five people were killed. Since Friday more than 400 have died, and many more are under rubble.

The soldiers who have defected from the army only have Kalashnikovs. How can you face a battalion with a Kalashnikovs?....

We have a lot of injured people who need urgent treatment. We need to bury the bodies that are piling up in the houses, but we can't go out to bury them.

The humanitarian situation here is very miserable. We have an acute shortage of medication. We don't have any blood for donations, or oxygen. We are calling for help from the whole world. We want help opening the blockade of Homs.

Survivors are suffering an acute shortage of food and medication. No one dares go outside because there so many snipers.

We are using kitchen knives for surgery. All the field hospitals have been targeted. We are relying on domestic medicine cabinets to treat the injured.

We controlled one hospital in Al-Halemei but it was taken by the security forces. Those injured in the hospital have been taken to prisons. The last field hospital we had in Bab al-Amro was bombed yesterday. We lost 10 people when we tried to evacuate the hospital.

1832 GMT: Claimed footage of mourners avoiding gunfire in Idlib Province in Syria:

1824 GMT: Al Jazeera English reports on the detention of eight suspects in Libya over the alleged torturing to death of a diplomat, Omar Brebesh, who served under Muammar Qaddafi:

1624 GMT: Omani blogger Muawiya Alrawahi has reportedly been detained because of a post and tweets in which he criticised the ruler, Sultan Qaboos bin Said.

Alrawahi also about his suffering of sexual abuse as a young teenager, his earlier involvement with Oman's Internal Security Service (ISS), and his lack of religious belief.

1620 GMT: Claimed footage of a shelled house ablaze in the Bab Amro section of Homs this morning:

1320 GMT: Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Syrian President Assad assured him that Syria is "fully committed" to stopping violence. Lavrov added, "We [Russia] confirmed our readiness to act for a rapid solution to the crisis based on the plan put forward by the Arab League," Lavrov said.

1255 GMT: France, Italy, Belgium and the Netherlands have now recalled their ambassadors from Syria, although Italy says it will not close its embassy.

Britain, the US, and Belgium withdrew their diplomats on Monday.

The European Union, however, will maintain a presence in the country. "We have no plan at all from the [EU] External Action Service to withdraw our head of delegation in Damascus at this point in time," spokesperson Michael Mann said. "We believe it's important to have people on the ground particularly as there is no free press in the country so that we can report and observe what is going on.

1245 GMT: An incident highlighting the tensions within the Syrian insurgency....

In an interview with CNN, Major Mahar Naimi introduced himself as a spokesman for the "Higher Military Council", led by Gen. Mustafa Sheikh, a defecting officer: "This council represents the people fighting in Syria,"

However, another defecting officer, Colonel Riad al Assad, who has claimed to speak for the Free Syrian Army, denied that Sheikh had a commanding role, "This man represents himself. He has nothing to do with the Free Syrian Army....Those people are representing themselves and do not represent the revolution and the Free Syrian Army. They don't represent anybody."

1225 GMT: As Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov arrived in Damascus, greeting by hundreds of regime supporters waving Russian and Syrian flags, AFP reports that 15 civilians and four soldiers have been killed in the assault on Homs today. Five civilians were slain in Zabadani, while a teenager died in Houla in Homs Province.

Meanwhile, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said, after last week's stalemate in the United Nations Security Council amidst Russian and Chinese vetoes, "We are going to start a new initiative with those countries that stand by the people, not the Syrian government. We are preparing this."

Britain's foreign secretary William Hague announced that London would build contacts with the Syrian opposition and back a new Arab-led group, Friends of Syria.

1010 GMT: An Egyptian military delegation abruptly cancelled its meetings with US lawmakers on Monday, amidst a conflict over Cairo's raids on non-governmental organisations and prospective trials of 40 staff, including 19 Americans.

Legislators, the State Department, and the White House have warned that Egypt's crackdown could threaten $1.3 billion in annual US military aid.

1000 GMT: The Syrian Ministry of Interior has said that the attack on Homs will continue: "Operations to hunt down terrorist groups will continue until security and order are reestablished in all neighborhoods of Homs and its environs and until we overcome all armed persons terrorizing citizens and threatening their life."

The Ministry claimed "terrorist groups" had committed atrocities killing many civiians, while clashes on Monday between regime troops and "armed gangs" had left six security forces dead and 11 injured.

Meanwhile, the text of the State Department's announcement that the US Embassy in Syria has been closed, with all staff leaving the country:

The recent surge in violence, including bombings in Damascus on December 23 and January 6, has raised serious concerns that our Embassy is not sufficiently protected from armed attack. We, along with several other diplomatic missions, conveyed our security concerns to the Syrian government but the regime failed to respond adequately.

0950 GMT: As Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov talks to the Assad regime in Damascus today, the Chinese Foreign Minister has said it is considering sending envoys to West Asian and North African countries to discuss ways to end the violence.

0800 GMT: On Sunday night, amidst clashes in Cairo, Egyptian blogger and activist Salma Said was hit by 29 birdshot pellets --- 3 in the face, almost blinding her, and 26 in the legs. She speaks from hospital after the incident:

0615 GMT: A straightforward question --- can the Syrian regime pound the opposition ito submission?

At least 74 people died on Monday at the hands of the security forces. Almost 50 perished in the pounding of Homs, Syria's third-largest city, in the fourth day of the regime offensive. However, the spread of deaths elsewhere pointed to an attempt by President Assad's men to regain control of territory everywhere --- 12 people were slain in the Damascus suburbs and nearby towns, including Zabadani, and nine died in Idlib. There were also three victims in Damascus, two in Aleppo, and one in Hama.