Yemen, Syria (and Beyond) LiveBlog: Fighting Renewed

Clashes last night around Freedom Square in Taiz in Yemen(see 0455 GMT)

1655 GMT: Earlier, we noted an Associated Press update that Hamza al-Qu'ayti was likely among the 57 Al Qaeda members who escaped a Yemeni prison today. Hamza was killed in 2008 (thanks to Gregory Johnsen for that catch).

1634 GMT: The commander of NATO forces in Libya, Lt.-Gen. Charles Bouchard, has responded to calls for a ceasefire by stating that any lull in action would empower Gaddafi's forces. He dismissed claims that civilian casualties were on the rise, pointing out that very few of the air strikes have resulted in collateral damage, despite the fact that Gaddafi is still actively hiding amongst civilians while targeting civilians with his own strikes.

Bouchard also dismissed claims that a ceasefire was neccesary for humanitarian aid to reach civilians. He pointed out that aid is reaching civilians in rebel-controlled territory, and that Gaddafi was actively blocking this access in his own territory:

“A ceasefire, temporary in nature, cannot just be an opportunity for both sides to reload and engage in further violence down the road. We must continue to stay engaged to prevent that rearming from taking place and reinforcement from taking place,” he said.

“Truly, at the end of the day, if the Gadhafi regime wants their population to receive humanitarian assistance all they have to do is let the shipments go by.”

1616 GMT: The Associated Press is reporting fresh clashes in Bahrain, after 21 activists have been sentenced today, 8 of the with life sentences (see updates below):

Click to read more ...