In Libya, one of former Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi's sons vowed that he and other family members will fight until death and said nobody will surrender. The EU discusses lifting of sanctions.
Iran, meanwhile, is making overtures to Libya's rebels, announcing its first formal contact with Libya's opposition Transitional National Council (TNC).
In Israel, IDF Chief of Staff Benny Gantz warned terrorist groups on Tuesday against attacking Israel.
In Syria, activists say government tanks and troops have entered the central city of Hama, making arrests in a renewed crackdown on the hotbed of opposition to President Bashar al-Assad.
Bahrain opposition activists claim that security forces Wednesday fired tear gas at anti-government protesters in a Shi'ite village, killing a teenage boy.
Details after the break
One of former Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi's sons told a Syrian television station late Wednesday that he is in the suburbs outside Tripoli and that his father “is fine.”
Seif al-Islam Gadhafi vowed that he and other family members will fight until death and said nobody will surrender. He told the pro-Gadhafi al-Rai television station that morale among loyalist fighters is high.
The defiant audio statement was broadcast shortly after another comment by his brother, al-Saadi, who said he is ready to mediate talks with anti-Gadhafi forces in order to stop the bloodshed.
Meanwhile, European Union diplomats say sanctions against several Libyan ports, oil companies and more than a dozen other entities could be lifted as soon as Friday.
The EU's 27 members reached a preliminary agreement Wednesday in an effort to help Libya's National Transitional Council resume normal economic activity. Diplomats say they expect a final agreement on Thursday.
France has asked the sanctions committee of the United Nations Security Council to allow Paris to release more than $2 billion of frozen Libyan assets.
The sanctions committee has already approved similar appeals by Britain and the United States, releasing a total of more than $3 billion in seized Libyan assets to address urgent humanitarian needs.
In Libya, thousands celebrated the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan in Tripoli's main square, as the country's provisional authorities pressed for the surrender of forces loyal to Moammar Gadhafi in his hometown of Sirte.
Countries participating in the international Contact Group on Libya will meet in Paris Thursday to discuss ways to help Libyans now that the NTC has gained control over most of the country.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is among those who will attend the talks, and officials from Russia and China said Wednesday they also will send envoys.
Italy announced on Wednesday that it plans to reopen its embassy in Tripoli this week.
Iran:
Iran is making overtures to Libya's rebels, announcing its first formal contact with Libya's opposition Transitional National Council (TNC).
According to a foreign ministry statement Tuesday, Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi discussed bilateral relations and "issues of mutual interest" with TNC leader Mustafa Abdel Jalil.
The statement says Jalil also called for the promotion of ties between Tehran and Tripoli when the two spoke by phone on Monday.
The statement adds that Jalil promised action concerning the 1978 disappearance of an Iranian-born imam in Libya.
Relations between Shiite majority Iran and Moammar Gadhafi's regime were strained by the disappearance of Imam Moussa Sadr.
The Lebanese Shi'ite spiritual leader disappeared shortly before he was due to meet with officials in Libyan leader Gadhafi's government.
Israel:
IDF Chief of Staff Benny Gantz warned terrorist groups on Tuesday against attacking Israel.
Speaking at a special event marking the 35th anniversary of the IDF’s Shaldag Unit, of which he himself was a commander between 1989 and 1991, Gantz said, “Hamas and the other terrorist organizations in Gaza should know that if they harm Israeli citizens we will hit them hard and it would be a mistake on their part to test our strength.”
Gantz also praised the work of the Shaldag Unit in the fight against terror, saying, “When we look at the threats surrounding us, we need operational capabilities, courage and good people, and the Shaldag Unit has been one of our very significant pillars over the years.”
The Shaldag Unit was established in 1976 under the command of Muki Betzer. Shaldag’s mission is to deploy undetected into combat zones and hostile environments in order to conduct special reconnaissance, establish assault zones or airfields, while simultaneously conducting air traffic control and commando actions.
Gantz’s comments came as large security forces were spread out along Israel’s border with Egypt due to a heightened terror alert in Israel’s south.
On Tuesday, Minister for Homeland Defense Matan Vilnai warned that a terror cell with more than ten members is in the Sinai desert and will soon attempt to infiltrate into Israel.
(c) Israel National News
Syria:
Syrian rights activists and residents say government tanks and troops have entered the central city of Hama, making arrests in a renewed crackdown on the hotbed of opposition to President Bashar al-Assad.
The activists and residents say gunfire was heard in Hama on Wednesday, as tanks and military vehicles drove into the city. They say hundreds of Syrian security forces also emerged from buses parked on the city's outskirts and entered on foot, searching for activists involved in a five-month pro-democracy uprising.
Syrian security forces withdrew from Hama earlier this month following a weeklong siege of the city, which has seen some of the country's biggest protests demanding an end to Mr. Assad's 11-year autocratic rule.
The United States expanded sanctions against Syria on Tuesday, in response to Mr. Assad's violent crackdown on the uprising.
The new measures include asset freezes and bans on business interactions with Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem, Assad adviser Bouthaina Shaaban, and Syrian ambassador to Lebanon, Ali Abdul Karim Ali.
A State Department spokeswoman said Tuesday the three were targeted because of their role in propagating what she called the “reign of terror” that President Assad has unleashed on his people.
The Syrian government has blamed much of the country's violence on what it calls armed gangs and terrorists.
Bahrain:
Bahraini opposition activists say security forces Wednesday fired tear gas at anti-government protesters in a Shi'ite village, killing a teenage boy.
The activists say the 14-year-old died after being hit by a tear gas canister fired at close range in Sitra. The protesters had gathered in the village after morning prayers. Bahraini officials say they are investigating the death.
Bahrain's majority Shi'ites have held sporadic anti-government protests since the country's minority Sunni leaders lifted emergency rule in June. The recent protests have led to frequent, small-scale confrontations with Bahraini security forces.
The ruling al-Khalifa family imposed emergency rule as part of a violent crackdown on mass opposition protests in February and March. Bahrain's government crushed the uprising with help from neighboring Sunni states. At least 30 people were killed.
Bahraini Shi'ites complain of discrimination by the ruling al-Khalifa family. They also have been protesting for a greater say in the affairs of the island state.
Bahrain's government began a national dialogue with the opposition on political reforms last month, but Shi'ite politicians walked out, accusing the ruling family of not being committed to real change.
All content for these reports - unless otherwise stated - from VOA News
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