Libya, Yemen (and Beyond) LiveBlog: Hanging On
Tuesday, March 22, 2011 at 11:10 | Scott Lucas in Africa, EA Global, EA Middle East and Turkey, Middle East and Iran 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.