Syria (and Beyond) LiveBlog: Assad "Is Not Indispensable"

1526 GMT: Four American journalists in Egypt were arrested yesterday in Suez while filming anti-government protests. According to the report, they were arrested by civilians and then turned over to the military. Jason Mojica, a former Al Jazeera reporter, two of Mojica's crew, and Egyptian-American energy consultant Sherif Helwa were detained.

1518 GMT: As crowds grow near the cabinet building, Tahrir Square, Cairo, the Guardian's Jack Shenker assesses the reaction to the SCAF speech:

"That sort of language, coupled with the fact that companies in downtown Cairo appear to have sent their employees home early (we don't yet know if this was on official orders or not), has led some to believe that the state is preparing an attack on the ongoing Tahrir sit-in - many activists are using social media sites to call on Egyptians to come down and defend the square. But at this stage predictions of trouble are rumour and conjecture.

"Elsewhere shouting matches have broken out on live television between protest representatives and army officials; whatever happens over the next few hours, it's clear that there are two competing visions of Egypt's revolution being put forward, by the revolutionaries on the one hand and the armed forces on the other - both increasingly view the other as illegitimate, and neither are showing any sign of backing down."

1511 GMT: Meanwhile, the Revolution Youth Coalition has held its own press conference, calling for the resignation on Prime Minister Essam Sharaf. They have accused Sharaf of being counter-revolutionary, and have condemned today's statements by The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF). According to Ahram News,

"The coalition listed four demands in its statement: a full delineation of the powers and prerogatives of the SCAF and those of the cabinet; administrative participation in the current transitional period; the adoption of economic policies favouring Egypt’s 40 million living under the poverty line; and a complete purging of remnants of the Mubarak regime from all state bodies."

The crowds in Tahrir Square are still growing, according to multiple sources.

1502 GMT: In contrast to the earlier conciliatory comments made by SCAF, Maj. Gen. Mohsen el-Fangary has said in a televised message that the government will take “all necessary measures” to halt challenges to the authority and legitimacy of the government. Furthermore, though the SCAF spokesman pledged support to the revolution, he also warned that the military would stop “anyone who would disrupt public order and services.”

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Syria Document: US Ambassador's Facebook Response to Regime "This is a Crisis About Dignity, Human Rights, and the Rule of Law"

The people in Hama have been demonstrating peacefully for weeks. Yes, there is a general strike, but what caused it? The government security measures that killed protesters in Hama. In addition, the government began arresting people at night and without any kind of judicial warrant. Assad had promised in his last speech that there would be no more arrests without judicial process. Families in Hama told me of repeated cases where this was not the reality. And I saw no signs of armed gangs anywhere – not at any of the civilian street barricades we passed.

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Syria, Egypt (and Beyond) LiveBlog: Revolution Renewed

Protests tonight in the Midan section of the Syrian capital Damascus

2050 GMT: Human Rights Watch says defectors from Syria’s security forces have described receiving orders from their superiors to fire live rounds at protesters to disperse them.

HRW issued a statement based on interviews with eight soldiers and four members of secret security agencies. The interviewees said they had participated across the country in the crackdown, including in Daraa, Izraa, Baniyas, Homs, Jisr al-Shughour, Aleppo, and Damascus. They said they had participated in and witnessed the shooting and wounding of dozens of protesters and the arbitrary arrests and detentions of hundreds of civilians.

All the interviewees say their superiors told them that they were fighting infiltrators, "salafists" (hard-line Sunni adherents), and terrorists, but they were surprised to encounter unarmed protesters instead. They said they were ordered to fire on the civilians, including children, in a number of instances.

The defectors also reported that those who refused orders to shoot on protesters ran the risk of being shot themselves. One of them said they witnessed a military officer shoot and kill two soldiers in Daraa for rejecting orders.

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Syria, Egypt (and Beyond) LiveBlog: Protest Friday

Protesters gather in Tahrir Square for "Persistence Friday."

See our separate video entries: Latest Syria Videos: The "No Dialogue" Protests - Set 1 and Set 2

2056 GMT: As we close the day, a brief reflection. Our predictions this morning were pretty accurate. We saw massive demonstrations in Yemen, both for and against President Saleh. We saw a large pro-Gaddafi celebration in Libya because Gaddafi had ordered a single Friday Prayer celebration. We saw massive demonstrations in Suez and Tahrir Square in Cairo, Egypt.

Perhaps the most important development, however, was in Syria. In Damascus, we saw large protests in the center of the city, and security fired on the crowds, a sure sign that even the capital is starting to turn against the regime, slowly but steadily. In Hama, US Ambassador Robert Ford was described by the Syrian Interior Minister as meeting "with saboteurs in Hama ... who erected checkpoints, cut traffic and prevented citizens from going to work." However, he got a hero's welcome, and nearly 500,000 people peacefully took to the streets with few incidents of security cracking down on the city.

Protests continue tonight in Egypt, and US-Syria relations may have changed permanently. Check in tomorrow (0600 GMT) to find out what happens next.

2051 GMT: Near Tahrir Square, Cairo, 5:30 PM:

Near Tahrir Square, Cairo, 6:00 PM, and the protesters are still there now.

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Syria Transcript: US Sends Ambassador so Damascus Can Challenge Hezbollah

On Saturday, State Department spokesman Philip J. Crowley briefed the press on the appointment of Robert Ford as the ambassador to Syria. His explanation of the decision was far from consistent. If the matter  has nothing to do with "placing ambassadors in countries with which Washington has significant disagreements", why is there no ambassador to Tehran or an attempt to build official dialogue with Hamas-ruled Gaza? Why just Damascus?

The answer? Washington wants to assign "a constructive role" to Syria, such as dealing with the "Hezbollah concern" in Lebanon and in the region.

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Syria Analysis: A New American Approach?

Last Wednesday, President Barak Obama appointed Robert Ford as the first U.S. ambassador to Syria since 2005. Since Ford is a recess appointment, he can serve only until the end of the next session of Congress, which will likely be in December 2011.

On Sunday, the Kuwaiti al-Rai newspaper reported that Washington has been in secret contact with Syrian officials in the hope for reaching a comprehensive peace agreement between Israel and Damascus. Sources quoted Obama adviser Dennis Ross as saying that "Syria is ready to move away from Iran and reduce relations with Hezbollah and Hamas, and work with the United States in the fight against terrorism".

If this is true, then is the White House trying to undertake the new track as an alternative to the deadlocked Israeli-Palestinian peace process? The approach is not new --- this has been evaluated since Obama became President --- but it never reached the top of the agenda.

So the Administration may now be using Damascus to bring fresh blood to the "hopeless Middle East", amidst an analysis that a new Middle East war could emerge if Obama cannot break the deadlock between Israelis and Palestinians. But will Washington be ready to persist with the new approach?