Bahrain (and Beyond) LiveBlog: The Report of the Commission of Inquiry

Security forces use tear gas in Bahrain on protesters and residents after a man died in his car, allegedly following an incident with a police jeep

See also Bahrain Special: The Commission of Inquiry's Report...& 14 Key Points About It
Egypt Analysis: So What Happens Now?
Egypt LiveBlog: Déjà Vu All Over Again
Tuesday's Egypt (and Beyond) LiveBlog: Turmoil and Confusion

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2150 GMT: The week of Thanksgiving 2011 will be remembered for what happened in the Middle East. Once again, Egypt was so eventful that it merited its own liveblog. Two other major developments will make the history books. In Yemen, President Saleh signed the Gulf Cooperation Council deal, effectively agreeing to trade his rule for immunity. In Bahrain, the independent report on human rights, and the regime's reaction to it, will likely set the stage for the next phase of unrest there.

With these two stories, and Egypt's news, Syria was doomed to the bottom of the priority list today. And yet, we saw some massively important developments, an unseen amount of protest in Damascus and Aleppo, and signs that Europe may be contemplating an intervention in the crisis.

There are many parallels between Yemen and Egypt, as both may have removed a dictator but neither has seen lasting change. In Bahrain, the opposition continues to struggle to be heard. But the developments in Syria may be the most important in the long run. With the news of protests reaching the reaching the two largest cities, the opposition appears stronger than it has ever been, and the Assad regime appears weaker. As Yemen and Egypt struggle to chart their next chapter, and the Bahraini opposition struggles to establish itself against a powerful regime, it appears that Syria could be the next domino to fall, perhaps the largest and most important domino yet.

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Egypt (and Beyond) LiveBlog: Turmoil and Confusion

Activist montage of the march today in Sitra in Bahrain for 16-year-old Ali Alsatrawi, killed last week by a police jeep, and the attack on it by security forces

See also Bahrain Video Diary, Part 3: The Freedom Torch Marches To Its Final Destination"
Monday's Bahrain, Syria (and Beyond) LiveBlog: "The Government Wants the People To Become More Violent"
Monday's Egypt (and Beyond) LiveBlog: The Newest Battle of Tahrir Square

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2145 GMT: Numerous reports from Tahrir Square in Cairo are indicating "the most potent tear gas yet".

Discussion is pointing to the use by Egyptian security forces of CR gas, whose "effects are approximately 6 to 10 times more powerful than those of CS gas".

The gathering in Alexandria tonight:

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Syria Feature: The Spectre of Civil War in Homs (Shadid)

An anti-regime demonstration in the Qosour section of Homs last night

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A harrowing sectarian war has spread across the Syrian city of Homs this month, with supporters and opponents of the government blamed for beheadings, rival gangs carrying out tit-for-tat kidnappings, minorities fleeing for their native villages, and taxi drivers too fearful of drive-by shootings to ply the streets.

As it descends into sectarian hatred, Homs has emerged as a chilling window on what civil war in Syria could look like, just as some of Syria’s closest allies say the country appears to be heading in that direction.

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Egypt, Syria, Bahrain (and Beyond) LiveBlog: Democracy's Discontents

Egyptian police beat protesters --- note the man knocked unconscious by a baton --- and drag them away, including one by the hair, just off Tahrir Square

See also Syria Feature: The Spectre of Civil War in Homs
Bahrain 1st-Hand Special: Security Forces Break Up a Teenager's Funeral
Saturday's Bahrain, Syria (and Beyond) LiveBlog: The "Forgotten" Protests That Never Went Away

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2125 GMT: A mass rally in Hama in Syria tonight:

2045 GMT: A protester throws back a tear gas canister in Tahrir Square in Cairo this afternoon:

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Bahrain, Syria (and Beyond) LiveBlog: The "Forgotten" Protests That Never Went Away

Body of a 16-year-old, Ali Alsatrawi, lies next to the police jeep that hit him last night in Bahrain

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2205 GMT: Egyptian State media are reporting that one person was killed and 676 injured in today's clashes in Cairo.

2105 GMT: Video of Said Qaddafi, captured today, on the plane to Zintan:

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Syria Video and Analysis: The Free Syria Army Counter-Attacks in Homs

UPDATED

Update: 1842 GMT: Another massively important video from Syria. Reportedly taken today in Tafas, Daraa (MAP), the video starts with a familiar scene. People, hiding in side streets, chant protest slogans as the army deploys down the street towards the peaceful protests. This is where the scene develops, as the army advances too close, or as it opens fire (unclear who fires first), the cameraman scans down to reveal a defected soldier taking position. The defectors then open fire on the army, literally "protecting the protesters" as they have pledged:

Is this the future of "peaceful" protests in Syria? Protests that start peaceful but, when attacked, fight back?

The original article is below:

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Syria Video Special: Friday's Protests Across the Country

Protesters in Inkhel in Daraa Province chant for the execution of the President:

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Syria (and Beyond) LiveBlog: What Will Happen With Today's Protests?

2123 GMT: According to the LCCS, 22 people have been killed today in Syria, including 4 children, 7 civilians in Daraa, 6 in Homs, 5 in Hama, 4 in people in the Damascus Suburbs (2 in Irbee, and 1 in Yabroud and Daraya.)

2110 GMT: According to Now Lebanon,

A YouTube video purportedly filmed on Friday in Homs shows protestors during an evening march with one demonstrator carrying a paper saying: “The people want support [to be offered to] the Free Syrian Army and Arab protection.”

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Syria, Kuwait (and Beyond) LiveBlog: Another Meeting, Another Occupation, More Deaths

2206 GMT: An impressive evening demonstration in Harasta, Damascus, on the outskirts of the city (MAP). The logos of the Syrian State media, as well as other news logos (we saw NBN, Lebanon's National Broadcasting Network) are scratched out, but international news logos are raised high:

2159 GMT: More details on the sitaution near Ma'arrat an Nouman:

Idlib: Maarat Nouman: Rocket propelled grenades and tank shells shower the residents of Wadi Aldayf following the defection of soldiers and news of civilian casualities

According to the LCCS, house to house raids have also started in the city and surrounding towns.

2141 GMT: More military bombardment is reported in Ma'arrat Shamsheh, near Ma'arrat an Nouman, Idlib province (MAP). The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported a death in the area (MAP):

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Syria Special: "Phase 3" --- Consolidating the Opposition, Moving to Armed Conflict

Members of the Free Syrian ArmyNeither Emile Hokayem nor EA is saying that the peaceful protesters will pick up arms and join a civil war. What we may be looking at, however, is a situation with similarities to Yemen, where a militarised wing of the opposition begins to attack the regime in order protect a peaceful protest movement.

In any case, the Free Syrian Army is clearly growing and is more organised and far more aggressive. The protests are still large and widespread, and the rate of military defections appears to be accelerating. This third phase, a bloody phase, may be the decisive one.

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