• Libya claims 15 civilians killed in Nato raid on Brega
• Turkey loses patience with Syria
• Mourners shot dead at funerals of protesters in Syria
A Syrian demonstrator holds up an effigy of President Bashar al-Assad during a protest at the courtyard of Fatih mosque in Istanbul. Photograph: Murad Sezer/Reuters
12.16pm: There is very little chance of Tahrir Square style protest in the Syrian capital Damascus, but protests elsewhere show that Assad's control is illusory, argues leading dissident Ammar Abdulhamid.
Observer keep using Egypt as their reference, despite the radically different circumstances prevailing in both countries. In Egypt, high-rankling military leaders sides with the protesters early on. In Syria, and due to the sectarian background of most top military generals, their allegiance to the Assads remains strong and they feel equally threatened by the protest movement...
Assad's control rests solely on military strength and the willingness of its supporters to resort to violence under protection by military and security forces. The fact that pro-Assad rallies, their size notwithstanding, only take place when they are directly organized by the state while protests happen on a daily basis, around the clock and throughout the country comes as an additional evidence of the Assads' limited base of support and loyalty.
The Assads' control does not extend far beyond their guns and their tanks. Everything else is now a mirage.
11.54am: Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh will make a media appearance within the next 48 hours, according to the latest report in a series to contradictory bulletins about his health.
According to Reuters Saleh's media secretary said:
The president will appear within the next 48 hours despite our fear that the burns on his features and on different parts of his body will be an obstacle given that his appearance will not be as the media expects it.
The report is being treated with scepticism by activists.
On Friday CNN quoted Saleh's doctors as saying that he would be staying in Saudi Arabia for a "longer time" to recover.
Saleh was forced to flee to Riyadh for medical treatment after a bomb attack on his presidential compound.
11.46am: Former foreign minister Peter Hain claimed Bashar al-Assad was a "political innocent" when he met him in 2000 shortly before he became president of Syria.
In a profile of Assad on Radio 4, Hain said Assad minders made him speak in Arabic at the meeting despite his fluency in English. "It was a sign that he was not going to be running the show," Hain said.
10.59am: The protest movement in Syria is getting closer to the capital Damascus, according to the latest reports and video footage.
This Google Map shows some of the latest clips circulated by activist showing protests in and around the capital. Click on the icons to see the footage.
A report in the Sunday Telegraph says:
In a worrying sign for Mr Assad and his ability to portray the uprising as a provincial sign show, there is growing evidence that the protest movement is closing in on his two principal strongholds [Aleppo and Damascus]...
After mosque prayers on Friday, when the biggest demonstrations traditionally take place, at least 20 protesters were killed across the country. But, for the first time, a majority of the fatalities were on the outskirts of Damascus.
The capital's residents are all too aware of the rising tension. "Damascus is not the place it was even a week ago," one of its inhabitants, Rami, said. "Anything can happen anywhere now.
10.48am: Turkey is preparing for possible border clashes with Syria, according to the veteran Israeli journalist Zvi Bar'el.
The Haaretz Middle East analyst writes:
The situation between Syria and Turkey is explosive and could slide into a violent confrontation, a highly-placed Turkish source said yesterday. The source said Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan had convened a second meeting over the weekend following an earlier session on Thursday with the heads of the Turkish army, the intelligence service and the foreign ministry to explore possible scenarios involving Syrian military operations on Turkish territory. The concern is that the Syrians would try to hit refugee camps in Turkey that have already taken in 12,000 Syrian civilians.
10.31am: A Nato spokesman has challenged Libyan claims that civilians were killed in airstrikes on the coastal town of Brega.
Reuters quoted a spokesman as saying:
We have no indications of any civilian casualties in connection to these strikes. What we know is that the buildings we hit were occupied and used by pro-Gaddafi forces to direct attacks against civilians around Ajdabiya.
Unlike the pro-Gaddafi forces, we go to great lengths to reduce the possibility of any civilian casualties.
Meanwhile, Abdel Hafiz Ghoga, vice chairman of the rebel National Transitional Council has reiterated that a political settlement was possible. He told reporters in Benghazi:
We have agreed to take a serious look at any proposal as long as Gaddafi does not remain in power. We are waiting for any proposals that are (being discussed) around the world. We have not received anything yet.
9.44am: Welcome to a Sunday instalment of Middle East Live. Here's a round down of the latest developments.
• A human rights group says five Syrian civilians were killed during house searches and funerals of protesters, al-Jazeera reports, as the Turkish government loses patience with president Bashar al-Assad.
• The first ship in a new Gaza flotilla has set sail from France, ahead of the launch of 12 ships on Tuesday. The US State department has warned Americans planning to board the boats that they face criminal prosecution.
• The African Union is told hold talks in South Africa today in its latest attempts to end the conflict in Libya as rebels claims they expect to receive an offer from Gaddafi very soon. In the latest boost for the rebels 17 leading Libyan footballers, including the national team's goalkeeper, defected to the opposition.
• Libyan state TV says 15 people were killed in a Nato airstrike on Brega. Nato says it hit military targets in Brega.
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