Fighting continues between tribal forces and government forces escalates in Yemen.
AS US lawmakers visit Libya's NTC, fighting continues in Sirte. Interpol also issued a "red notice" at the request of provisional authorities in Libya, where a warrant has been issued for Saadi Gadhafi's arrest.
In Egypt, interim leader Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi took a walk in downtown Cairo this week, which gave rise to a firestorm of speculation in the media. Meanwhile, security forces raid al Jazeera office.
Hillary Clinton condemned what she termed an “inexcusable assault” on the U.S. ambassador to Syria by a pro-regime crowd as he met an opposition figure Thursday in Damascus.
A security court in Bahrain has convicted doctors and nurses who treated demonstrators during earlier 'unrest.'
Yemen's Saleh says he won't resign until his rivals are gone.
Details after the break.
Several people were reportedly killed and others wounded during intense fighting Thursday in a northern district of the Yemeni capital, Sana'a, as partisans of tribal leader Sheikh Sadek al-Ahmar and forces loyal to President Ali Abdullah Saleh fought for control of a key neighborhood.
Yemenis awoke to the sound of fighting in Sana'a again Thursday, as forces loyal to embattled President Ali Abdullah Saleh clashed with tribesmen supporting his bitter rival, Sheikh Sadek al-Ahmar.
Arab satellite channels reported that fighting was heaviest around the home of Sheikh Ahmar in the upscale Hasaba neighborhood of northern Sana'a. The sheikh's house was reportedly shelled, receiving a number of direct hits.
Other fighting took place around the positions of General Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar, who sided with protesters against Mr. Saleh, last spring. For months, protesters have been demanding that Mr. Saleh leave office,
Witnesses say the fighting led to an exodus of civilians from the Yemeni capital, amid ongoing power cuts, fuel shortages and scarcity of some food items. Thursday's clashes came after three days of a relative lull.
Opposition protesters were not deterred by the fighting, participating in large demonstrations and marches in several districts of the capital.
Egypt
Egypt's interim leader Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi took a walk in downtown Cairo this week, an event that has set off a firestorm of speculation in the media. Opinion is split over whether the outing was meant to show interest in his fellow citizens, or was a testing of the waters for a possible presidential bid.
A leading Cairo newspaper has dubbed it The Curious Case of Tantawi's Civilian Suit. For it was the field marshal's clothes that caught the most attention.
Tantawi had abandoned his military uniform, the familiar epaulets and medals, for a tailored dark suit. Shaking hands and chatting with surprised residents, it took little imagination to see the resemblance to a politician making the rounds. The response was swift.
Within hours Facebook pages sprang up devoted to the topic, including the unsubtle "Over My Dead Body Tantawi." Critics also chimed in on Twitter, mocking the out-of-uniform leader as the "casual dictator."
Al Jazeera television network says Egyptian security forces have raided its Cairo office for the second time this month, roughing up the staff and confiscating equipment.
Bureau Chief Ahmed Zein says officers entered the channel's new office Thursday and forced its journalists into one room. He said the security officials pushed a journalist after she asked them to display their identity papers.
Earlier this month, security officials shut down the station's office because it did not have a permit to operate in the country. Zein says Al Jazeera applied for a permit six months ago. He said authorities assured the station that it could continue to operate while waiting for its permit.
Security officials have not commented on the raid.
Egypt's ruling military authorities have clamped down on media outlets they believe might incite instability in the country following the ouster of former President Hosni Mubarak.
Libya
Intense fighting is under way between Libya's provisional government fighters and former leader Moammar Gadhafi's holdouts for control of Gadhafi's hometown of Sirte.
National Transitional Council (NTC) fighters say they have gained control of the airport in Sirte. However, clashes between the two sides continue in other parts of the city on Thursday.
Meanwhile, Libya's provisional government has gotten a show of support from visiting U.S. senators and a United Nations agency.
Four U.S. lawmakers traveled to Libya on Thursday in a trip that marked the first visit by U.S. congressmen to Tripoli since the fall of Gadhafi's government.
After the group met with NTC leaders, U.S. Senator John McCain urged the NTC to work to bring all of the country's armed groups under the control of the governing authority. He also urged provisional leaders to bring Gadhafi, his family members and his fighters to justice. Gadhafi remains at large as NTC forces hunt for him.
Another lawmaker, Senator Mark Kirk, said he would continue to lobby for the release of Libyan funds held in the U.S.
Separately, the U.N. Human Rights Council has recommended the lifting of Libya's membership suspension in the rights body. The council has adopted a resolution that calls for the U.N. General Assembly to lift the suspension that was imposed in March.
In another development, Interpol issued an international alert on Thursday to help find and arrest former Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi's son, Saadi.
The international police agency says it issued a "red notice" at the request of provisional authorities in Libya, where a warrant has been issued for Saadi Gadhafi's arrest.
Interpol says he is wanted in Libya for allegedly misappropriating property and engaging in "armed intimidation" when he headed the Libyan Football Federation.
The agency says it has confirmed reports that Saadi Gadhafi was last seen in neighboring Niger. The alert seeks the help of countries in the region and those with travel links to Niger, with a view to returning him to Libya if he is arrested.
Interpol issued similar international alerts earlier this month for Gadhafi, his son Saif al-Islam and Libya's former intelligence chief.
Syria
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton condemned what she termed an “inexcusable assault” on the U.S. ambassador to Syria by a pro-regime crowd as he met an opposition figure Thursday in Damascus. Syria is blaming the United States for a violent turn in anti-government unrest.
The U.S.-Syrian relationship has taken a new downward turn, with the government of President Bashar Assad accusing Washington of inciting armed groups to violence, and a pro-regime crowd attacking U.S. Ambassador Robert Ford.
A jeering crowd of about 100 Syrians pelted the U.S. diplomat and aides with tomatoes and debris Thursday as they arrived for a visit in central Damascus with opposition figure Hassan Abdelazim.
The U.S. envoy took refuge in the Syrian politician’s office as the pro-regime crowd pounded on the door and later badly damaged U.S. embassy vehicles that were sent to the scene.
Syrian police were said to have arrived after more than an hour’s delay and escorted Ford and his colleagues, all uninjured, back to the embassy.
It was the second incident of its kind in less than three months, following a mob attack on the U.S. mission in July, and it drew an angry response from the Obama administration.
At a press event with Nigerian Foreign Minister Olugbenga Ashiru, Secretary Clinton condemned what she termed a “wholly unjustified” attempt to intimidate U.S. diplomats through violence.
“This inexcusable assault is clearly part of an ongoing campaign of intimidation aimed at not only American diplomats but diplomats from other countries, foreign observers, who are raising questions about what’s going on inside Syria," said Clinton. "It reflects an intolerance on the part of the regime and its supporters, and it is deeply regrettable."
The Obama administration has resisted calls from Congress to withdraw Ambassador Ford to protest the Syrian crackdown on demonstrators that U.N. human rights officials say has killed more than 2700 people since March.
U.S. officials say in the absence of international media and human rights monitors in Syria, Ford is risking personal harm to monitor events and maintain contacts with the Syrian opposition.
Clinton called the veteran U.S. diplomat a “vital advocate” for the aspirations of a people “under siege” by the Assad government, and she urged the U.S. Senate to confirm Ford, who is in Syria on a temporary White House appointment.
The attack on Ford coincided with new Syrian charges that the United States is inciting armed groups to violence against security forces.
Bahrain
A security court in the Gulf state of Bahrain has sentenced 20 doctors and medics to long jail sentences for treating wounded demonstrators during unrest earlier this year. The court sentence is expected to further enrage the kingdom's restive Shi'ite majority, which has been protesting the rule of the country's minority Sunni leadership.
The security court in Bahrain sentenced medical workers to jail time ranging from five years to 15 years in prison. The state-run Bahrain News Agency said the medics were jailed for forcefully occupying a hospital, spreading false news, inciting hatred of Bahrain's rulers and calling for an overthrow of the regime.
The ruling comes a day after a court upheld life sentences for eight Shi'ite opposition activists convicted of plotting to overthrow the Sunni-led minority government. Thirteen other activists received sentences ranging from two years to 15 years on similar charges of sedition.
Bahraini officials say that the sentences can be appealed. But they are provoking an outcry from the country's Shi'ite opposition.
A crowd of several hundred Shi'ite protesters carrying flags and banners shouted slogans against Bahrain's rulers. Amnesty International's Said Boumedouha condemned the harsh sentences against the doctors.
“These trials are grossly unfair," said Boumedouha. "Some of the defendants in this trial and other trials have been tortured and they were forced into making confessions and so many people were detained without judicial arrest warrants. And, it's a military court. Civilians should not be tried before a military court.”
Khattar Abou Diab, who teaches political science at the University of Paris, argues that the latest turn of events in Bahrain indicates an unwavering government policy.
He says that despite the pleas of King Hamid and his son, the crown prince, for a policy of reconciliation, a hardline faction inside the ruling family has gained sway against the more conciliatory line advocated by the king.
Thursday's tough sentences indicate that faction shows no signs of backing down.
Yemen
Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh says he will not step down as long as his key rivals, a senior general who defected to the opposition and a billionaire tribal leader and his family, retain power and influence in the country.
In an exclusive interview with The Washington Post and Time magazine, Mr. Saleh said a political transition plan crafted by Yemen's Gulf neighbors states that “all elements” contributing to the country's civil unrest should be removed.
He said that means he will not cede power if General Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar and Hamid al-Ahmar, a telecom tycoon and politician whose brother heads Yemen's most powerful tribal confederation, are eligible to run in future elections.
Mr. Saleh warned it would be “very dangerous” if the two men were to retain their positions after he resigns, saying that outcome could “lead to civil war.” He accused his political rivals of hijacking Yemen's popular revolt in order to force him from office.
Mr. Saleh also indicated the general and the Ahmar clan may have played a role in a June attack on his palace in which he was severely wounded. He returned to the Yemeni capital last week after a three-month stay in Saudi Arabia to recuperate from the assassination attempt.
At least two people were killed Thursday in Sana'a, where fierce clashes erupted between forces loyal to Mr. Saleh and armed tribesmen who have sided with the opposition.
Witnesses reported explosions and heavy gunfire in several areas of the city, with government troops battling followers of tribal leader Sheikh Sadek al-Ahmar.
Fighting has escalated during the past two weeks. On Wednesday, anti-government tribesmen shot down a government warplane near the capital.
Yemen's foreign minister has blamed the turmoil on the opposition's refusal to accept 2006 presidential results. Abu Bakr al-Qirbi said Tuesday that Mr. Saleh is committed to pushing forward a long-stalled plan to transfer power to a deputy.
Mr. Saleh has agreed to the proposal three times since April, but has backed out each time before it could be signed.
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