Syria: Eyewitnesses said government forces are indiscriminately firing at the outskirts of Maarat al-Numan with the intention of terrorizing residents. This has led more residents to flee the town. Fifteen kilometers east of Maarat al-Numan, residents of Mantas are also fleeing as armed convoys approach the village. The city of Hama witnessed anti-regime demonstrations yesterday to counter the pro-regime protests in Damascus. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has urged President Bashar al-Assad to carry out reforms before time runs out.

Libya: Revolutionaries say they have taken control of various areas in the Jabal al-Gharbi region after days of battles against Gaddafi's forces. Seesaw battles continue between the two sides in areas east of Tripoli, particularly between of Misurata and Zliten. While a number of countries assert that NATO's air strikes on Libya are impeding the efforts to reach a political resolution to the crisis, disputes between NATO members emerged as some refused to pledge to provide additional supplies for the military operations in Libya.

Iraq: On the first Friday since the end of Maliki’s 100-day deadline, protests in Tahrir Square were drastically different from prior weeks’ protests. As the weekly anti-regime protests began, they were soon met by opposing slogans swearing allegiance to the prime minister. The competing slogans did not last long and the protests soon turned violent.