France 24 reporters Adel Gastel and Karim Hakiki were able to get into the town of Binnish in northwest Syria. In the video above, they speak to members of the Free Syrian Army, who said they had succeeded in driving out heavily-armed regime snipers.
And then there is this interview with a captain in the Khaled bin AlWaleed Brigade in Homs. He describes a major battle in the Bab al Dreib district, and claims that the Free Syrian Army soldiers captured a BMP vehicle, destroyed a T-72 tank and a BRDM recon vehicle, and will continue the fight tomorrow. He also reported the formation of a new brigade, "The Grandchildren of Khaled bin AlWaleed."
Bahrain's Minister of Interior has called tonight for prison sentences of up to 15 years for anybody caught attacking a police officer.
The call by Lieutenant-General Shaikh Rashid bin Abdullah Al Khalif comes after a week of violence and bloodshed in Bahrain. On Tuesday, a fightback by some demonstrators, mostly youths, resulted in an officer being attacked and wounded. Images of the incident were broadcast across the world.
However, today's call by the Minister of Interior is likely to raise many eyebrows, given the documented attacks by police against both protesters and civilians this week. There have been at least four Bahrainis killed as a consequence of police action, with reports that one of the victims was abused in police custody. Thursday night also saw security forces covering towns and villages with tear gas, bringing concern both for mmediate conequences and also long-term health risks.
The Minister of Interior's call also follows the announcement that the police are to be given more equipment with which to defend themselves against attack. That equipment, which may be used in far more than a defensive manner, includes "gas and sound bombs as well as guns that fire rubber bullets".
Claimed footage of a crowd in Homs greeting defecting troops of the 4th Brigade
Given the weaknesses of all the Syrian opposition and activists groups at present, however, it is critical to avoid even the suggestion that the opposition could transform into something of a monolithic force in the near future. This discounts the reality of its divisions and the significance, both symbolically and practically, of debates between its members. To that end, it is also unrealistic to expect Syrian dissidents and activists in and outside of the country to develop, agree upon, and advance a plan for the overthrow of the regime and the subsequent political reconstruction of Syria, in a matter of months. Syrians have spent some four decades under the depoliticization program of the Baath Party, unable to organize or openly discuss the political future of the country. For those inside Syria, the onset of the revolution has shattered the barrier of fear keeping many from expressing their views - but it has done nothing to mitigate the reality that those attempting to organize against the government, do so under threat of violence. Even in the best of circumstances, such issues would take months and years to sort out.
UPDATE 1705 GMT: The Iranians in Syria. Press TV claims, from "a tribal figure in northern Lebanon", that five Iranians --- engineers, according to Tehran; soldiers, according to the Free Syria Army, who seized the men --- have been moved to the area.
Press TV does not indicate if two other Iranians, who were seized when they tried to obtain information about the missing men, have also been relocated.
The Al Farouk Brigade, which claims to hold the five Iranians and put them on a video which was released last week, is based in Homs, near where the men were abducted.
2156 GMT: Bahraini human rights activist Said Yousif Almuhafda shares two videos, which he has described as "foreign mercenaries attacking ladies with soundbombs in manama for no reason." We're not able to confirm any of those claims, and the quality of the video makes it difficult to determine what exactly is happening.
This video, however, we can confirm was taken earlier, giving a clear impression of the size of the protest rally earlier today. Though this rally was peaceful, reports of police disrupting protests with teargas and beatings have lasted well into the night:
EA sources provide English subtitles for an interview with soldiers from the Free Syrian Army stationed in the embattled city of Zabadani, 20 miles northwest of Damascus.
The broken cease-fire, however, does not erase the significance of this event. The Free Syrian Army did win a military victory, if only for a day. Even more evidence is surfacing that testifies to that fact.
This video reportedly shows a burned-out hull of a tank, allegedly destroyed by the FSA yesterday:
Fighter in Free Syrian Army (Sezayi Erken/AFP/Getty)There were two important developments in Syria on Monday. The day started with a large protest in the central Midan district of Damascus, the opposition's test the regime's promise to meet the Arab League's demand for reforms. The regime failed that test, opening fire on one of the largest protests in Damascus in months and killing up to three people.
By the end of the day, however, this headline was eclipsed by others: as many as 48 civilians had died nationwide, and 70 (or 72) soldiers had been killed in Jebel al Zawiya in Idlib Province in the northwest, as they tried to defect. The combined total of deaths, reported by some activists,would make Monday one of the bloodiest days of the crisis.
By late Monday night, however, a series of controversies had arisen. Neither the Local Coordinating Committees of Syria nor the Free Syrian Army nor any of EA's contacts had any direct knowledge of the defectors. Indeed, we were wary of the report because it did not come through traditional sources. EA's earlier note that a source had spoken to one of the defectors, was a misunderstanding --- the source had read an account from the original source, the Syrian Revolution General Commission. In-fighting began to set in, as some activists doubted the validity of the claims.
Twice the army had come to Binnish. On the first occasion they arrested more than 70 people, demonstrators, old and young. The lucky ones were released after two months. Some are still missing. On the second occasion the people fought back, with hunting rifles, old guns, stones even. When the security forces withdrew there were 21 dead: 11 demonstrators and 10 pro-regime fighters.
The people had won their liberty, temporarily at least. Buildings were covered with anti-regime slogans. "Binnish is free," reads graffiti scrawled with red paint on a whitewashed town wall. In the middle of the market square is a huge revolutionary flag in green and black and adorned with three red stars: it is the old Syrian flag, the one that predates the Assads.
But this freedom is precarious. The security forces are gathering once again at the town's margins.
2030 GMT: The LCCS reports that 40 people have died today in Syria:
7 children 3 women, 4 defected soldiers. The deaths are distributed as follows: 18 in Homs,7 in Idlib,9 in Damascus Suburbs (3 in each of kafarbatna and Domaair 2 in Douma, , 1 in Saqba,) 4 in Hama, and 2 in Daraa (Sanamain and Inkhil
Tuesday, January 31, 2012 at 7:34
;)