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Syria: Sanctions imposed on Asma al-Assad as fighting continues - Friday 23 March Syria: Sanctions imposed on Asma al-Assad as fighting continues - Friday 23 March
(about 7 hours later)
4.07pm: Thank you for all your comments. Here's a summary of the day's main developments: 9.00am: Good morning. Welcome to Middle East Live. Here is a round-up of the latest developments
SyriaSyria
• European Union foreign ministers are set to impose sanctions on Bashar al-Assad's British-born wife, Asma al-Assad, today. The move comes after a cache of what appear to be private emails from the Syrian president, his wife and other members of their inner circle, obtained by the Guardian showed her busy buying luxury goods from London and Paris, including jewellery, a £2,650 vase and £10,000 worth of candlesticks, tables and chandeliers during the regime's brutal crackdown on internal dissent. The EU's sanctions are also likely to be extended to other individuals, including the Syrian president's, mother, sister and sister-in-law and institutions. European companies could also be banned from doing business with two more Syrian entities, diplomats say.
• Government forces and army defectors are engaging in fierce clashes in a town near the Turkish border, an activist group says. The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights told Reuters the fighting in the town of Azaz in the northern province of Aleppo have left at least three soldiers dead. It said military helicopters were seen flying over the town, 8km (five miles) from the Turkish border.
• There were also clashes between the two sides near the capital Damascus, activists told Deutsche Presse-Agentur. Rebels attacked at dawn an army checkpoint in al-Qaboon, in the suburbs of Damascus, sparking a clash between the two sides and heavy shelling on the nearby area of Arbeen, Haytham al-Abdullah said.
• Syrian rebels battling government forces are running out of ammunition, the Washington Post reports. It says black market supplies are drying up as neighbouring countries tighten their borders and international promises of help have failed to materialise. Some rebels are also going hungry as s they withdraw deeper into remote mountainous terrain, away from the population centres where they rely on the sympathies of residents for food and support, the report says.
• Opposition activists have dismissed a UN security council statement calling for a ceasefire to allow dialogue on a political solution. They cited fresh violence that is reported to have killed dozens on Thursday. The government of Bashar al-Assad also played down the UN statement, saying Damascus is under no threats or ultimatums.
Iran
• The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the nuclear watchdog at the heart of the growing Iranian crisis, has been accused by several former senior officials of pro-western bias, over-reliance on unverified intelligence and of sidelining sceptics. Robert Kelley, a former US weapons scientists who ran the IAEA action team on Iraq at the time of the US-led invasion, said there were worrying parallels between the west's mistakes over Iraq's supposed weapons of mass destruction then and the IAEA's assessment of Iran now.
Egypt
• The US secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, is to allow US military aid to Egypt to continue despite Cairo's failure to meet pro-democracy conditions. The office of Senator Patrick Leahy, who chairs the Senate subcommittee on foreign aid, revealed Clinton's decision and made clear his deep unhappiness with it, arguing that Clinton should now limit the amount of military aid that is released.
Bahrain
• Bahrain is installing video cameras in police stations to try to clean up its human rights image allegations of abuse against opposition activists continue. But the cameras, introduced after an inquiry led by international jurists uncovered five deaths under torture last year, will not be installed in at least five riot police bases where activists say youths have been beaten.
9.15am: A European Union official has told AP Asma al-Assad will be hit with a travel ban and have her assets in the EU frozen.
But the official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that as she has British citizenship that likely meant that she could not be banned from travel to the UK.
The official said a total of four members of the Assad family - the others appear likely to be the Syrian president's mother, sister and sister-in-law - along with eight government ministers will be targeted in the latest round of sanctions.
9.52am: More news is coming in of clashes near the Turkish border. The Free Syrian Army has killed two loyalist soldiers and captured 18 others, including two officers, in an attack on a Syrian army unit near the border, according to al-Arabiya. Opposition fighters also also seized large quantities of ammunition from the army unit attacked near the village of Bedama, the report says.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least three soldiers and a rebel were killed in clashes in Azaz, near the Turkish border.
It also reported bombing in Homs, saying "24 rounds of mortar fire have fallen since the morning on the districts of Bab Dreib, Safsafa et Warsheh".
@Samsomhoms, an anti-Assad activist based in the city, tweeted:
11:40 here in #Homs intensive shelling on old city still taking place by #Assad forces till this moment #Syria
— Samsom homs (@Samsomhoms) March 23, 2012
I just saw some of #Assad tanks moving in one of main streets inside the city of #Homs i think they were heading to the old city #Syria
— Samsom homs (@Samsomhoms) March 23, 2012
10.00am: Breaking news on Reuters: European Union states have decided to impose sanctions on the wife of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's and other members of his family.
10.03am: More from Reuters on the sanctions imposed on Asma al-Assad:
Foreign ministers meeting in Brussels also imposed asset freezes and bans on travel to the EU on several other Syrians and banned European companies from doing business with two Syrian entities, EU officials said.
A full list of sanctions targets will be made public on Saturday when the decision comes into force. EU diplomats said the list included the Syrian president's wife Asma and family.
"She is on the list. It's the whole clan," one EU diplomat said.
10.17am: Kofi Annan (pictured left), joint special envoy of the United Nations and Arab League, is to travel to Moscow and Beijing this weekend for talks on the crisis in Syria, his spokesman said (via Reuters).
A team sent by Annan has returned from three days of talks in Damascus on implementing his peace plan aimed at stopping the killing, securing humanitarian aid and launching a political dialogue with the Syrian opposition, spokesman Ahmad Fawzi said in a statement.
"Mr Annan and his team are currently studying the Syrian responses carefully, and negotiations with Damascus continue," Fawzi said.
Asked whether Annan would be returning to Damascus for talks with President Bashar al-Assad, Fawzi told a news briefing in Geneva: "He will at some point decide to go back, but this is not the time yet."
10.35am: At the same meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels where they imposed sanctions on Asma al-Assad and other Syrians, they extended restrictive measures on Iran. They added 17 people to an asset freeze and visa ban to bring the total to 78. At the same time, it extended the sanctions on all for another year.
EU foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton said the measures were taken because of the "continuing increase in executions and the widespread repression of Iranian citizens, including human rights defenders, journalists and members of the opposition".
11.11am: Today's protests have been labelled "Damascus, we are coming" by opposition activists.
The Syrian Revolution General Commission says five people have been killed at the hands of the security forces so far. Two in Homs and one in each of Deraa, Idlib and Aleppo.
It provides the following details.

Homs: Shelling continues extensively on the districts of old Homs (concentrated on the districts of Bab Dreib, Bab Hood, Bustan el-Diwan, al-Safsafeh, and al-Warsheh) on al-Khalidiya district, and on al-Qusayr town located in Homs's suburbs. All these areas are being targeted by tank shells and mortar bombs; Two have been killed and many other civilians injured. Helicopters are spotted flying at a low attitude over most areas of the city of Homs.
Aleppo: Heavy shelling targeting houses in A'zaz town. Regime's forces are targeting the houses with helicopters' heavy machine-guns. A man was killed, called Muhammad Juma'ah Akasheh (warning: graphic video), and tens of other civilians injured.
Idlib: Heavy shelling is targeting the town of Khan Shaykhoun since the early morning and continues until now. Several houses have been damaged by the continuous shelling.
Deraa: Shathle Ismail Ztemeh has died after sustaining injuries by the regime force's gunfire on Wednesday. He died this morning on the Friday of "We're Coming, Damascus".
The SRGC's reports cannot be independently verified.
11.31am: A video purporting to be from Azaz, near the border with Turkey, where fierce fighting has been reported today, shows smoke rising and helicopters hovering overhead. Machine gun fire can be heard. The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says at least three soldiers and a rebel have been killed in clashes in Azaz today.
Another video purports to show helicopter tracer fire from last night in Azaz.


A second video also appears to show tracer fire.
11.51am: The UN's top human rights body has condemned Syria's bloody crackdown on opposition groups and extended the mandate of a UN expert panel tasked with reporting on alleged abuses in the country, AP reports:
The 47-member UN Human Rights Council voted 41 to three in favour of an EU-sponsored resolution that was backed by Arab nations and the United States. China, Russia and Cuba voted against. Two countries abstained and one didn't vote.
The resolution condemned "widespread, systematic and gross violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms perpetrated by the Syrian authorities" including summary executions, torture and sexual abuse of detainees and children, and other abuses.
It also condemned "the deliberate destruction of hospitals and clinics, the obstruction and denial of medical assistance to the injured and sick, and the raids and killing of wounded protesters in both public and private hospitals." ...
Syria's ambassador Fayssal al-Hamwi rejected Friday's vote as "biased."
"It does not reflect the reality on the ground, on the contrary," he told the meeting. The council's decisions aren't legally binding, but they are seen as an important indicator of the international community's stance on human rights issues.
12.03pm: Some reaction to the decision to impose sanctions on Asma al-Assad from the Dutch foreign minister, Uri Rosenthal:
With this new listing we are striking at the heart of the Assad clan, sending out a loud and clear message to Mr Assad: he should step down.
This Reuters guide from last month details previous sanctions targetting the Syria regime.
12.37pm: The UK Home Office has confirmed that a British citizen subject to a EU travel ban - eg Asma al-Assad - could not be refused entry into the country.
However, a British lawyer has suggested to AP that the travel ban imposed today will effectively bar her from the country.
Nigel Kushner said:

No EU national and no EU company can make any funds or any economic resources available to Asma al-Assad, nor can anyone receive funds or economic resources from her. And that means that, essentially, she won't be able to go on any shopping trips in the EU or via third parties.
1.00pm: Here's a summary of the main developments so far today:
Syria
• EU foreign ministers have slapped sanctions on the Syrian president's wife, Asma al-Assad, and three other members of his family. The move comes after a cache of what appear to be private emails from the Syrian president, his wife and other members of their inner circle obtained by the Guardian, showed her busy buying luxury goods from London and Paris during the regime's brutal crackdown on internal dissent. The sanctions will ban them from travelling in the EU but Asma al-Assad will still be able to visit the UK, as she holds British citizenship. Her EU assets have also been frozen. Sanctions have also been imposed on eight government ministers and two Syrian companies have had their assets frozen, EU officials have said. The full details will be published on Saturday.• EU foreign ministers have slapped sanctions on the Syrian president's wife, Asma al-Assad, and three other members of his family. The move comes after a cache of what appear to be private emails from the Syrian president, his wife and other members of their inner circle obtained by the Guardian, showed her busy buying luxury goods from London and Paris during the regime's brutal crackdown on internal dissent. The sanctions will ban them from travelling in the EU but Asma al-Assad will still be able to visit the UK, as she holds British citizenship. Her EU assets have also been frozen. Sanctions have also been imposed on eight government ministers and two Syrian companies have had their assets frozen, EU officials have said. The full details will be published on Saturday.
• The UN's top human rights body has condemned Syria's bloody crackdown on opposition groups and extended the mandate of a UN expert panel tasked with reporting on alleged abuses in the country. The 47-member UN Human Rights Council voted 41 to three in favour of an EU-sponsored resolution that was backed by Arab nations and the United States. China, Russia and Cuba voted against. The resolution condemned "widespread, systematic and gross violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms perpetrated by the Syrian authorities".• The UN's top human rights body has condemned Syria's bloody crackdown on opposition groups and extended the mandate of a UN expert panel tasked with reporting on alleged abuses in the country. The 47-member UN Human Rights Council voted 41 to three in favour of an EU-sponsored resolution that was backed by Arab nations and the United States. China, Russia and Cuba voted against. The resolution condemned "widespread, systematic and gross violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms perpetrated by the Syrian authorities".
• Kofi Annan, joint special envoy of the United Nations and Arab League, is to travel to Moscow and Beijing this weekend for talks on the crisis in Syria, his spokesman said. Ahmad Fawzi told reporters that Annan's team is "currently studying the Syrian responses carefully and negotiations with Damascus continue". • Kofi Annan, joint special envoy of the United Nations and Arab League, is to travel to Moscow and Beijing this weekend for talks on the crisis in Syria, his spokesman said. Ahmad Fawzi told reporters that Annan's team is "currently studying the Syrian responses carefully and negotiations with Damascus continue".
• Fierce fighting between government forces and the Free Syrian Army (FSA) has been reported in Azaz, near the border with Turkey. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least three soldiers and a rebel were killed. FSA fighters killed two loyalist soldiers and captured 18 others, including two officers, in an attack on a Syrian army unit near the village of Bedama near the border, according to al-Arabiya. Fighting was also reported near Damascus. Opposition activists claimed Syrian security forces were shelling Homs, Aleppo and Idlib.• Fierce fighting between government forces and the Free Syrian Army (FSA) has been reported in Azaz, near the border with Turkey. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least three soldiers and a rebel were killed. FSA fighters killed two loyalist soldiers and captured 18 others, including two officers, in an attack on a Syrian army unit near the village of Bedama near the border, according to al-Arabiya. Fighting was also reported near Damascus. Opposition activists claimed Syrian security forces were shelling Homs, Aleppo and Idlib.
• Protests took place across Syria under the banner "Damascus, we are coming". The Local Co-ordination Committees activist group said secruity forces killed 32 people, including three children. It said 11 were killed in Homs, nine in Deraa, four in Idlib, three in Aleppo, two in Hama and one in each of Raqqah, Lattakia and Deir Ezzor.
• The UN's refugee agency is appealing for $84m to support Syrian refugees. A UNHCR spokesperson said its plans were based on an estimate "that in the next six months assistance will be needed to support some 100,000 people".It put the number of refugees so far at more than 40,000.
• Syrian rebels battling government forces are running out of ammunition, the Washington Post reports. It says black market supplies are drying up as neighbouring countries tighten their borders and international promises of help have failed to materialise. Some rebels are also going hungry as s they withdraw deeper into remote mountainous terrain, away from the population centres where they rely on the sympathies of residents for food and support, the report says.
IranIran
• EU foreign ministers also extended restrictive measures on Iran today. They added 17 people to an asset freeze and visa ban to bring the total to 78. At the same time, it extended the sanctions on all for another year. EU foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton said the measures were taken because of the "continuing increase in executions and the widespread repression of Iranian citizens, including human rights defenders, journalists and members of the opposition". • EU foreign ministers also extended restrictive measures on Iran today. They added 17 people to an asset freeze and visa ban to bring the total to 78. At the same time, it extended the sanctions on all for another year. EU foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton said the measures were taken because of the "continuing increase in executions and the widespread repression of Iranian citizens, including human rights defenders, journalists and members of the opposition".
Bahrain 1.50pm: Asked about the sanctions imposed on Asma al-Assad, a spokesman for the UK foreign office said it would not be commenting on individuals targetted until the names are officially published tomorrow. He said:
• Hundreds of anti-regime supporters have been protesting in Bahrain. Police fired teargas at about 100 protesters who tried to march to Manama's Pearl Square, which was the epicenter of the revolt in the capital last year, AP reported. Use of teargas was also reported by activists in a number of other areas. The Enduring America blog said at least nine marches took place across the country and that a police vehicle charge the crowd in Sitra.
/>We cannot release them [the names] in advance due to risks of asset flight but we are trying to sanction people associated with the regime and advancing its actions.
4.00pm: Is this what the future holds for Syria? 1.58pm: In a news story on the sanctions imposed on Asma al-Assad and other members of the Syrian president's family, the Guardian's Ian Traynor outlines the likely practical effects of the ban:
A video has been posted online (warning: graphic) that is said to be of the Free Syrian Army killing members of the security forces with an improvised explosive device (IEDs). (via @edwardedark) Under the EU visa regime, the overall travel ban does not stop the holder of a passport of an EU country from continuing to travel to that country.
3.39pm: Blind Syrian cleric Ahmad al-Sayasneh preached to 1,000 Syrian anti-Assad protesters in Jordan's capital Amman today, urging them to "remain steadfast until our tyrant leadership is ousted", AP reports. It was his first public appearance since fleeing Syria two months ago. A Sunni Muslim, al-Sayasneh preached at a mosque in the rebellious town of Deraa where he delivered fiery sermons calling for civil disobedience. British officials confirmed that Asma al-Assad still has a valid UK passport and that she would be able to visit Britain where she was born. Her parents live in London where she grew up.
The same AP report says that security forces opened fire on protesters in Aleppo and the Damascus neighborhood of Kfar Souseh, where at least eight were wounded, according to unverified reports by activists. "She can still enter the UK. There's nothing legal we can do about it without good reason," said a British official.
3.23pm: The UN's refugee agency is appealing for $84m to support Syrian refugees. A UNHCR spokesperson is quoted by reliefweb as saying: Also, the curbs on her ability to shop in London for luxury and designer goods may be less comprehensive than previously thought. The assets freeze means that her bank accounts and credit cards should be frozen. But British officials said that under Home Office rules, those blacklisted would be barred from purchasing "basic goods" but would still be able to shop for "luxury items". The criteria distinguishing basic from luxury goods was not clear.
The plan is based on an estimate that in the next six months assistance will be needed to support some 100,000 people. This will mainly comprise Syrian refugees, as well as some third-country nationals. The plan does not cover humanitarian needs inside Syria. For that, a separate appeal, led by the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, is expected in the near future. The confusion surrounding the impact of the sanctions on the Assad family left open the possibility that blacklisting Asma al-Assad could turn out to be relatively toothless.
The plan is based on three objectives. The first is to ensure that Syrians and other refugees have access to neighbouring countries and international protection. The second is to provide for the basic needs of the refugees, with special attention to the most vulnerable. The third is to ensure that contingency measures are undertaken in the event of a larger-scale outflow. It appeared that there would no attempt to strip Asma al-Assad of her British nationality.
The number of Syrian refugees, according to UNHCR, is as follows: 2.30pm: The Local Co-ordination Committees activist group says 22 people have been killed by the security forces in Syria so far today, half of them in Homs. Of the other 11, it says four have been killed in Deraa, three in Idlib one in each of Aleppo, Raqqah, Lattakia and Deir Ezzor.
Jordan - more than 6,000 registered with a further 2,500 awaiting registration Its reports cannot be independently verified.
/>
/>This video purports to show shelling in the Bab Sbaa district of Homs today.
Lebanon - over 16,000 receiving assistance Activists have reported heavy shelling in several areas of Homs.
Turkey - 17,000 registered with the government Large protests are still reportedly taking place across Syria, including this one in Deir Balbah, in Homs.
Iraq - "growing numbers" but the exact numbers are still being assessed Large demonstrations have also been reported in Idlib, Lattakia, Hama and Damascus suburbs, among other places
3.13pm: The UK foreign secretary, William Hague (pictured left), has said Asma al-Assad cannot be barred from entering Britain but that he is not expecting her to do so, EUbusiness reports. He is quoted as saying:

"British passport holders do obviously have a right of entry to the United Kingdom. But given that we are imposing an asset freeze on all of these individuals and a travel ban on other members of the same family and the regime, we are not expecting Mrs Assad to try to travel to the United Kingdom at the moment."
3.04pm: Here are some updates on the humanitarian situation with respect to Syria.3.04pm: Here are some updates on the humanitarian situation with respect to Syria.
Unicef has unveiled plans to address the urgent health, educational and other needs of tens of thousands of Syrian children being sheltered in surrounding countries.Unicef has unveiled plans to address the urgent health, educational and other needs of tens of thousands of Syrian children being sheltered in surrounding countries.
Maria Calivis, the group's regional director for the Middle East and North Africa, said:Maria Calivis, the group's regional director for the Middle East and North Africa, said:
Every day, heart-wrenching images and stories of children in Syria flash across our television screens. There can be little doubt that the vast majority of Syria's children will be scarred by this crisis – whether physically or psychologically. We are building on our existing network of governmental and NGO partners to reach not only the families living in camps but those who are being hosted in local communities.Every day, heart-wrenching images and stories of children in Syria flash across our television screens. There can be little doubt that the vast majority of Syria's children will be scarred by this crisis – whether physically or psychologically. We are building on our existing network of governmental and NGO partners to reach not only the families living in camps but those who are being hosted in local communities.

Unicef is appealing for $7.4m in funding to help ensure that that Syrian children can continue their schooling in the countries that are hosting them, to provide pyschosocial care, hygiene kits and a better parenting programme to to help displaced families ensure that the health and nutrition needs of young children are properly met.
Unicef is appealing for $7.4m in funding to help ensure that that Syrian children can continue their schooling in the countries that are hosting them, to provide pyschosocial care, hygiene kits and a better parenting programme to to help displaced families ensure that the health and nutrition needs of young children are properly met.
Meanwhile, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) says it reached Idlib "for the first time in months" this week.Meanwhile, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) says it reached Idlib "for the first time in months" this week.
Four trucks entered Idlib on 20 March with 2,000 food parcels. The ICRC says that, together with the Syrian Arab Red Crescent, which has the only functioning medical city in Idlib city, it distributed food parcels to 6,000 displaced persons and residents.Four trucks entered Idlib on 20 March with 2,000 food parcels. The ICRC says that, together with the Syrian Arab Red Crescent, which has the only functioning medical city in Idlib city, it distributed food parcels to 6,000 displaced persons and residents.
Jeroen Carrin, an ICRC relief delegate said:
Jeroen Carrin, an ICRC relief delegate said:
People had been waiting since early morning. The ICRC was the only international organisation to bring aid into the city.People had been waiting since early morning. The ICRC was the only international organisation to bring aid into the city.
2.30pm: The Local Co-ordination Committees activist group says 22 people have been killed by the security forces in Syria so far today, half of them in Homs. Of the other 11, it says four have been killed in Deraa, three in Idlib one in each of Aleppo, Raqqah, Lattakia and Deir Ezzor. 3.13pm: The UK foreign secretary, William Hague (pictured left), has said Asma al-Assad cannot be barred from entering Britain but that he is not expecting her to do so, EUbusiness reports. He is quoted as saying:
Its reports cannot be independently verified.
/>
/>This video purports to show shelling in the Bab Sbaa district of Homs today.
/>"British passport holders do obviously have a right of entry to the United Kingdom. But given that we are imposing an asset freeze on all of these individuals and a travel ban on other members of the same family and the regime, we are not expecting Mrs Assad to try to travel to the United Kingdom at the moment."
Activists have reported heavy shelling in several areas of Homs. 3.23pm: The UN's refugee agency is appealing for $84m to support Syrian refugees. A UNHCR spokesperson is quoted by reliefweb as saying:
Large protests are still reportedly taking place across Syria, including this one in Deir Balbah, in Homs. The plan is based on an estimate that in the next six months assistance will be needed to support some 100,000 people. This will mainly comprise Syrian refugees, as well as some third-country nationals. The plan does not cover humanitarian needs inside Syria. For that, a separate appeal, led by the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, is expected in the near future.
Large demonstrations have also been reported in Idlib, Lattakia, Hama and Damascus suburbs, among other places The plan is based on three objectives. The first is to ensure that Syrians and other refugees have access to neighbouring countries and international protection. The second is to provide for the basic needs of the refugees, with special attention to the most vulnerable. The third is to ensure that contingency measures are undertaken in the event of a larger-scale outflow.
1.58pm: In a news story on the sanctions imposed on Asma al-Assad and other members of the Syrian president's family, the Guardian's Ian Traynor outlines the likely practical effects of the ban: The number of Syrian refugees, according to UNHCR, is as follows:
Under the EU visa regime, the overall travel ban does not stop the holder of a passport of an EU country from continuing to travel to that country. Jordan - more than 6,000 registered with a further 2,500 awaiting registration
British officials confirmed that Asma al-Assad still has a valid UK passport and that she would be able to visit Britain where she was born. Her parents live in London where she grew up. Lebanon - over 16,000 receiving assistance
"She can still enter the UK. There's nothing legal we can do about it without good reason," said a British official. Turkey - 17,000 registered with the government
Also, the curbs on her ability to shop in London for luxury and designer goods may be less comprehensive than previously thought. The assets freeze means that her bank accounts and credit cards should be frozen. But British officials said that under Home Office rules, those blacklisted would be barred from purchasing "basic goods" but would still be able to shop for "luxury items". The criteria distinguishing basic from luxury goods was not clear. Iraq - "growing numbers" but the exact numbers are still being assessed
The confusion surrounding the impact of the sanctions on the Assad family left open the possibility that blacklisting Asma al-Assad could turn out to be relatively toothless. 3.39pm: Blind Syrian cleric Ahmad al-Sayasneh preached to 1,000 Syrian anti-Assad protesters in Jordan's capital Amman today, urging them to "remain steadfast until our tyrant leadership is ousted", AP reports. It was his first public appearance since fleeing Syria two months ago. A Sunni Muslim, al-Sayasneh preached at a mosque in the rebellious town of Deraa where he delivered fiery sermons calling for civil disobedience.
It appeared that there would no attempt to strip Asma al-Assad of her British nationality. The same AP report says that security forces opened fire on protesters in Aleppo and the Damascus neighborhood of Kfar Souseh, where at least eight were wounded, according to unverified reports by activists.
1.50pm: Asked about the sanctions imposed on Asma al-Assad, a spokesman for the UK foreign office said it would not be commenting on individuals targetted until the names are officially published tomorrow. He said: 4.00pm: Is this what the future holds for Syria?

/>We cannot release them [the names] in advance due to risks of asset flight but we are trying to sanction people associated with the regime and advancing its actions. 		A video has been posted online (warning: graphic) that is said to be of the Free Syrian Army killing members of the security forces with an improvised explosive device (IEDs). (via @edwardedark)
1.00pm: Here's a summary of the main developments so far today: 4.07pm: Thank you for all your comments. Here's a summary of the day's main developments:
SyriaSyria
• EU foreign ministers have slapped sanctions on the Syrian president's wife, Asma al-Assad, and three other members of his family. The move comes after a cache of what appear to be private emails from the Syrian president, his wife and other members of their inner circle obtained by the Guardian, showed her busy buying luxury goods from London and Paris during the regime's brutal crackdown on internal dissent. The sanctions will ban them from travelling in the EU but Asma al-Assad will still be able to visit the UK, as she holds British citizenship. Her EU assets have also been frozen. Sanctions have also been imposed on eight government ministers and two Syrian companies have had their assets frozen, EU officials have said. The full details will be published on Saturday.• EU foreign ministers have slapped sanctions on the Syrian president's wife, Asma al-Assad, and three other members of his family. The move comes after a cache of what appear to be private emails from the Syrian president, his wife and other members of their inner circle obtained by the Guardian, showed her busy buying luxury goods from London and Paris during the regime's brutal crackdown on internal dissent. The sanctions will ban them from travelling in the EU but Asma al-Assad will still be able to visit the UK, as she holds British citizenship. Her EU assets have also been frozen. Sanctions have also been imposed on eight government ministers and two Syrian companies have had their assets frozen, EU officials have said. The full details will be published on Saturday.
• The UN's top human rights body has condemned Syria's bloody crackdown on opposition groups and extended the mandate of a UN expert panel tasked with reporting on alleged abuses in the country. The 47-member UN Human Rights Council voted 41 to three in favour of an EU-sponsored resolution that was backed by Arab nations and the United States. China, Russia and Cuba voted against. The resolution condemned "widespread, systematic and gross violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms perpetrated by the Syrian authorities".• The UN's top human rights body has condemned Syria's bloody crackdown on opposition groups and extended the mandate of a UN expert panel tasked with reporting on alleged abuses in the country. The 47-member UN Human Rights Council voted 41 to three in favour of an EU-sponsored resolution that was backed by Arab nations and the United States. China, Russia and Cuba voted against. The resolution condemned "widespread, systematic and gross violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms perpetrated by the Syrian authorities".
• Kofi Annan, joint special envoy of the United Nations and Arab League, is to travel to Moscow and Beijing this weekend for talks on the crisis in Syria, his spokesman said. Ahmad Fawzi told reporters that Annan's team is "currently studying the Syrian responses carefully and negotiations with Damascus continue". • Kofi Annan, joint special envoy of the United Nations and Arab League, is to travel to Moscow and Beijing this weekend for talks on the crisis in Syria, his spokesman said. Ahmad Fawzi told reporters that Annan's team is "currently studying the Syrian responses carefully and negotiations with Damascus continue".
• Fierce fighting between government forces and the Free Syrian Army (FSA) has been reported in Azaz, near the border with Turkey. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least three soldiers and a rebel were killed. FSA fighters killed two loyalist soldiers and captured 18 others, including two officers, in an attack on a Syrian army unit near the village of Bedama near the border, according to al-Arabiya. Fighting was also reported near Damascus. Opposition activists claimed Syrian security forces were shelling Homs, Aleppo and Idlib.• Fierce fighting between government forces and the Free Syrian Army (FSA) has been reported in Azaz, near the border with Turkey. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least three soldiers and a rebel were killed. FSA fighters killed two loyalist soldiers and captured 18 others, including two officers, in an attack on a Syrian army unit near the village of Bedama near the border, according to al-Arabiya. Fighting was also reported near Damascus. Opposition activists claimed Syrian security forces were shelling Homs, Aleppo and Idlib.
Iran • Protests took place across Syria under the banner "Damascus, we are coming". The Local Co-ordination Committees activist group said secruity forces killed 32 people, including three children. It said 11 were killed in Homs, nine in Deraa, four in Idlib, three in Aleppo, two in Hama and one in each of Raqqah, Lattakia and Deir Ezzor.
• EU foreign ministers also extended restrictive measures on Iran today. They added 17 people to an asset freeze and visa ban to bring the total to 78. At the same time, it extended the sanctions on all for another year. EU foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton said the measures were taken because of the "continuing increase in executions and the widespread repression of Iranian citizens, including human rights defenders, journalists and members of the opposition". • The UN's refugee agency is appealing for $84m to support Syrian refugees. A UNHCR spokesperson said its plans were based on an estimate "that in the next six months assistance will be needed to support some 100,000 people".It put the number of refugees so far at more than 40,000.
12.37pm: The UK Home Office has confirmed that a British citizen subject to a EU travel ban - eg Asma al-Assad - could not be refused entry into the country.
However, a British lawyer has suggested to AP that the travel ban imposed today will effectively bar her from the country.
Nigel Kushner said:

No EU national and no EU company can make any funds or any economic resources available to Asma al-Assad, nor can anyone receive funds or economic resources from her. And that means that, essentially, she won't be able to go on any shopping trips in the EU or via third parties.
12.03pm: Some reaction to the decision to impose sanctions on Asma al-Assad from the Dutch foreign minister, Uri Rosenthal:
With this new listing we are striking at the heart of the Assad clan, sending out a loud and clear message to Mr Assad: he should step down.
This Reuters guide from last month details previous sanctions targetting the Syria regime.
11.51am: The UN's top human rights body has condemned Syria's bloody crackdown on opposition groups and extended the mandate of a UN expert panel tasked with reporting on alleged abuses in the country, AP reports:
The 47-member UN Human Rights Council voted 41 to three in favour of an EU-sponsored resolution that was backed by Arab nations and the United States. China, Russia and Cuba voted against. Two countries abstained and one didn't vote.
The resolution condemned "widespread, systematic and gross violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms perpetrated by the Syrian authorities" including summary executions, torture and sexual abuse of detainees and children, and other abuses.
It also condemned "the deliberate destruction of hospitals and clinics, the obstruction and denial of medical assistance to the injured and sick, and the raids and killing of wounded protesters in both public and private hospitals." ...
Syria's ambassador Fayssal al-Hamwi rejected Friday's vote as "biased."
"It does not reflect the reality on the ground, on the contrary," he told the meeting. The council's decisions aren't legally binding, but they are seen as an important indicator of the international community's stance on human rights issues.
11.31am: A video purporting to be from Azaz, near the border with Turkey, where fierce fighting has been reported today, shows smoke rising and helicopters hovering overhead. Machine gun fire can be heard. The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says at least three soldiers and a rebel have been killed in clashes in Azaz today.
Another video purports to show helicopter tracer fire from last night in Azaz.


A second video also appears to show tracer fire.
11.11am: Today's protests have been labelled "Damascus, we are coming" by opposition activists.
The Syrian Revolution General Commission says five people have been killed at the hands of the security forces so far. Two in Homs and one in each of Deraa, Idlib and Aleppo.
It provides the following details.

Homs: Shelling continues extensively on the districts of old Homs (concentrated on the districts of Bab Dreib, Bab Hood, Bustan el-Diwan, al-Safsafeh, and al-Warsheh) on al-Khalidiya district, and on al-Qusayr town located in Homs's suburbs. All these areas are being targeted by tank shells and mortar bombs; Two have been killed and many other civilians injured. Helicopters are spotted flying at a low attitude over most areas of the city of Homs.
Aleppo: Heavy shelling targeting houses in A'zaz town. Regime's forces are targeting the houses with helicopters' heavy machine-guns. A man was killed, called Muhammad Juma'ah Akasheh (warning: graphic video), and tens of other civilians injured.
Idlib: Heavy shelling is targeting the town of Khan Shaykhoun since the early morning and continues until now. Several houses have been damaged by the continuous shelling.
Deraa: Shathle Ismail Ztemeh has died after sustaining injuries by the regime force's gunfire on Wednesday. He died this morning on the Friday of "We're Coming, Damascus".
The SRGC's reports cannot be independently verified.
10.35am: At the same meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels where they imposed sanctions on Asma al-Assad and other Syrians, they extended restrictive measures on Iran. They added 17 people to an asset freeze and visa ban to bring the total to 78. At the same time, it extended the sanctions on all for another year.
EU foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton said the measures were taken because of the "continuing increase in executions and the widespread repression of Iranian citizens, including human rights defenders, journalists and members of the opposition".
10.17am: Kofi Annan (pictured left), joint special envoy of the United Nations and Arab League, is to travel to Moscow and Beijing this weekend for talks on the crisis in Syria, his spokesman said (via Reuters).
A team sent by Annan has returned from three days of talks in Damascus on implementing his peace plan aimed at stopping the killing, securing humanitarian aid and launching a political dialogue with the Syrian opposition, spokesman Ahmad Fawzi said in a statement.
"Mr Annan and his team are currently studying the Syrian responses carefully, and negotiations with Damascus continue," Fawzi said.
Asked whether Annan would be returning to Damascus for talks with President Bashar al-Assad, Fawzi told a news briefing in Geneva: "He will at some point decide to go back, but this is not the time yet."
10.03am: More from Reuters on the sanctions imposed on Asma al-Assad:
Foreign ministers meeting in Brussels also imposed asset freezes and bans on travel to the EU on several other Syrians and banned European companies from doing business with two Syrian entities, EU officials said.
A full list of sanctions targets will be made public on Saturday when the decision comes into force. EU diplomats said the list included the Syrian president's wife Asma and family.
"She is on the list. It's the whole clan," one EU diplomat said.
10.00am: Breaking news on Reuters: European Union states have decided to impose sanctions on the wife of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's and other members of his family.
9.52am: More news is coming in of clashes near the Turkish border. The Free Syrian Army has killed two loyalist soldiers and captured 18 others, including two officers, in an attack on a Syrian army unit near the border, according to al-Arabiya. Opposition fighters also also seized large quantities of ammunition from the army unit attacked near the village of Bedama, the report says.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least three soldiers and a rebel were killed in clashes in Azaz, near the Turkish border.
It also reported bombing in Homs, saying "24 rounds of mortar fire have fallen since the morning on the districts of Bab Dreib, Safsafa et Warsheh".
@Samsomhoms, an anti-Assad activist based in the city, tweeted:
11:40 here in #Homs intensive shelling on old city still taking place by #Assad forces till this moment #Syria
— Samsom homs (@Samsomhoms) March 23, 2012
I just saw some of #Assad tanks moving in one of main streets inside the city of #Homs i think they were heading to the old city #Syria
— Samsom homs (@Samsomhoms) March 23, 2012
9.15am: A European Union official has told AP Asma al-Assad will be hit with a travel ban and have her assets in the EU frozen.
But the official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that as she has British citizenship that likely meant that she could not be banned from travel to the UK.
The official said a total of four members of the Assad family - the others appear likely to be the Syrian president's mother, sister and sister-in-law - along with eight government ministers will be targeted in the latest round of sanctions.
9.00am: Good morning. Welcome to Middle East Live. Here is a round-up of the latest developments
Syria
• European Union foreign ministers are set to impose sanctions on Bashar al-Assad's British-born wife, Asma al-Assad, today. The move comes after a cache of what appear to be private emails from the Syrian president, his wife and other members of their inner circle, obtained by the Guardian showed her busy buying luxury goods from London and Paris, including jewellery, a £2,650 vase and £10,000 worth of candlesticks, tables and chandeliers during the regime's brutal crackdown on internal dissent. The EU's sanctions are also likely to be extended to other individuals, including the Syrian president's, mother, sister and sister-in-law and institutions. European companies could also be banned from doing business with two more Syrian entities, diplomats say.
• Government forces and army defectors are engaging in fierce clashes in a town near the Turkish border, an activist group says. The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights told Reuters the fighting in the town of Azaz in the northern province of Aleppo have left at least three soldiers dead. It said military helicopters were seen flying over the town, 8km (five miles) from the Turkish border.
• There were also clashes between the two sides near the capital Damascus, activists told Deutsche Presse-Agentur. Rebels attacked at dawn an army checkpoint in al-Qaboon, in the suburbs of Damascus, sparking a clash between the two sides and heavy shelling on the nearby area of Arbeen, Haytham al-Abdullah said.
• Syrian rebels battling government forces are running out of ammunition, the Washington Post reports. It says black market supplies are drying up as neighbouring countries tighten their borders and international promises of help have failed to materialise. Some rebels are also going hungry as s they withdraw deeper into remote mountainous terrain, away from the population centres where they rely on the sympathies of residents for food and support, the report says.• Syrian rebels battling government forces are running out of ammunition, the Washington Post reports. It says black market supplies are drying up as neighbouring countries tighten their borders and international promises of help have failed to materialise. Some rebels are also going hungry as s they withdraw deeper into remote mountainous terrain, away from the population centres where they rely on the sympathies of residents for food and support, the report says.
• Opposition activists have dismissed a UN security council statement calling for a ceasefire to allow dialogue on a political solution. They cited fresh violence that is reported to have killed dozens on Thursday. The government of Bashar al-Assad also played down the UN statement, saying Damascus is under no threats or ultimatums.
IranIran
• The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the nuclear watchdog at the heart of the growing Iranian crisis, has been accused by several former senior officials of pro-western bias, over-reliance on unverified intelligence and of sidelining sceptics. Robert Kelley, a former US weapons scientists who ran the IAEA action team on Iraq at the time of the US-led invasion, said there were worrying parallels between the west's mistakes over Iraq's supposed weapons of mass destruction then and the IAEA's assessment of Iran now. • EU foreign ministers also extended restrictive measures on Iran today. They added 17 people to an asset freeze and visa ban to bring the total to 78. At the same time, it extended the sanctions on all for another year. EU foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton said the measures were taken because of the "continuing increase in executions and the widespread repression of Iranian citizens, including human rights defenders, journalists and members of the opposition".
Egypt
• The US secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, is to allow US military aid to Egypt to continue despite Cairo's failure to meet pro-democracy conditions. The office of Senator Patrick Leahy, who chairs the Senate subcommittee on foreign aid, revealed Clinton's decision and made clear his deep unhappiness with it, arguing that Clinton should now limit the amount of military aid that is released.
BahrainBahrain
• Bahrain is installing video cameras in police stations to try to clean up its human rights image allegations of abuse against opposition activists continue. But the cameras, introduced after an inquiry led by international jurists uncovered five deaths under torture last year, will not be installed in at least five riot police bases where activists say youths have been beaten. • Hundreds of anti-regime supporters have been protesting in Bahrain. Police fired teargas at about 100 protesters who tried to march to Manama's Pearl Square, which was the epicenter of the revolt in the capital last year, AP reported. Use of teargas was also reported by activists in a number of other areas. The Enduring America blog said at least nine marches took place across the country and that a police vehicle charge the crowd in Sitra.