Some 200 Syrians defied a state emergency in place since 1963 to gather in Damascus to demand a political opening March 15. "God, Syria, liberty" and "Syrians, where are you?" chanted young men and women, urging their compatriots to join the "peaceful march" which unfolded in a central souk of Old City Damascus. The protesters marched through landmark souks al-Hamidiyeh and Hariqa, drawing dozens of other Syrians with them. But security forces broke up the group and arrested two.

Hundreds of riot police backed up by tanks, bulldozers and helicopters killed at least two and wounded dozens more March 16 as they cleared a protest camp in Bahrain's Pearl Square. The action came a day after an armed intervention force from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates entered the country, and King Hamad declared a three-month state of emergency.

Saudi-led forces from the Gulf countries' joint Peninsula Shield Force crossed the international causeway into Bahrain March 14 to help restore order after protesters shut down Manama's financial center the previous day, sparking hours of street clashes. The incursion by the 1,000-strong force came in response to a request form the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), which groups Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Responding to a reporter's question about the incursion, White House spokesman Jay Carney told a news briefing: "We've seen the reports that you're talking about. This is not an invasion of a country. We urge the government of Bahrain, as we have repeatedly, as well as other GCC countries, to exercise restraint." (Middle East Online, Reuters, March 14)

Two protesters died in Yemen on March 13, a day after being shot by police in the southern city of Aden, raising the death toll to seven in demonstrations against President Ali Abdullah Saleh. There were also disturbing reports from the capital, Sanaa, of protesters passing out and going into convulsions after inhaling gas fired by police. "This isn't tear gas," said Iraqi doctor Hussein al-Joshaai, a nerve specialist who was at the scene. "This is poison gas that disables the nervous and respiratory systems." Another doctor, Abdulwahab al-Inssi, said: "Those wounded today couldn't have been hit by tear gas grenades. They are suffering spasms." The interior ministry denied the allegations as "baseless slander." (Middle East Online, March 13)

Saudi Arabia is preparing to intervene in neighboring Bahrain, after a day of clashes between police and protesters. Bahrain's crown prince Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifa is expected to formally invite Saudi forces into his country, as part of a request now being considered by the six-member Gulf Co-operation Council. Hundreds were injured after police fired tear gas and charged protesters who had occupied Manama’s financial center on March 13.

Four were killed in fighting between anti-government protesters and security forces in Yemen March 12, even as President Ali Abdullah Saleh promised the White House that he would not use violence against the demonstrators. At least three people were killed in the capital, where some 100,000 staged a sit-in at Sanaa University to demand Saleh's ouster. As police used tear gas to break up the sit-in, pro-government snipers opened fire from rooftops. The fourth casualty, a 14-year-old boy, was killed in a protest the southern port city of Mukalla. In a bid to counter what he called "sedition," Saleh went on TV to pledge a referendum on a new constitution later this year, which would devolve further powers to parliament. But the move was dismissed by the opposition. "The president's initiative is too late and constitutes the last breath of the political regime which protesters demand and end to," parliamentary opposition spokesman Mohammad al-Sabri said. (NYT, Middle East Online, March 11)

Police in Bahrain fired tear gas at anti-government protesters March 11, as thousands marched on a square near the royal palace in Manama. Protesters were also confronted by a group of pro-regime loyalists armed with golf clubs, knives, swords, metal pipes and sticks embedded with nails. A clash ensued for control of the square as the mainly Shi'ite protesters hurled stones at the mainly Sunni regime supporters. Earlier, protesters chanted "Peaceful, peaceful" and handed flowers to police in a bid to avoid violence. Government loyalists chanted "Long live the Bahraini monarchy," and "The people want Khalifa bin Salman," referring to the long-time prime minister whose ouster the opposition demands. (Middle East Online, March 11)

Police opened fire March 10 to disperse protesters at Qatif in Saudi Arabia's mainly Shi'ite east, leaving at least one man injured. Security forces are on alert in the east for a "day of rage" that has been called for the next day, Friday, in defiance of a ban on all demonstrations. Several hundred protesters, some wearing face masks to avoid being identified, marched after dark in Qatif, demanding "Freedom for prisoners." (AP, NYT, March 10) Fighting broke out at a school in the mixed Sunni-Shi'ite town of Sar, Bahrain, after Shi'ite students held an anti-government protest. (The National, UAE; Reuters, March 10)