.

Here's a summary of the day's main developments:

Syria

• Fierce fighting has continued in Damascus for the second day in a row. Armoured vehicles have reportedly entered the central neighbourhood of Midan - where government troops and the rebel Free Syrian Army are clashing - in what has been described as the biggest military deployment in the capital since the beginning of the uprising against Bashar al-Assad. Activists also reported clashes between the two sides in Kafr Souseh, Zahera, Tadoman in the capital. Government snipers reportedly opened fire on a demonstration in the Nahar Eisha neighbourhood. Fighting has been reported in other cities, including Aleppo, Hama and Idlib.

• Major-General Adnan Sillu, the former head of Syria's chemical weapons programme, has reportedly defected. Sillu is said to have taken up a post as head of the joint military leadership of the FSA.

• The Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, has reiterated his country's stance on Syria and accused the west of "elements of blackmail" in threats that the UN observer mission would fail to see its mandate extended later this month if Moscow failed to agree to UN sanctions. Lavrov is due to host the UN-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan in Moscow tonight. Annan will meet President Vladimir Putin tomorrow. Lavrov said that Russia is not taking sides in the conflict but that it remains opposed to western intervention there.

• Morocco has asked the Syrian ambassador to leave the country immediately and declared him persona non grata. Syria wasted little time in retaliating and declaring the Moroccan ambassador to Syria, persona non grata.

• The UK foreign secretary, William Hague, has called for a UN security council resolution warning Syria of "serious consequences" for breaches of a peace plan. "The British government believes it is it is imperative to have a chapter seven resolution of the security council, which should mandate the implementation of the Kofi Annan peace plan and of a transitional government," he said.

Egypt

• Egypt's official news agency says the prosecutor general has ordered that ex-President Hosni Mubarak be moved from a lush military hospital back to prison, now that his health has improved. Mubarak was rushed from a prison hospital last month. At the time, he was said to be near death after suffering a stroke. Prosecutor General Abdel Maguid Mahmoud's decision means Mubarak could be back in prison later today The 84-year-old Mubarak was sentenced to life in prison for failing to stop the killing of hundreds of protesters during last year's uprising against his regime.

• The new administration of President Mohamed Morsi should take urgent steps to address sectarian violence, Human Rights Watch said today. The administration should ensure that those responsible for the violence are identified, investigated, and prosecuted in courts that meet international fair trial standards and order a retrial of those sentenced by discredited emergency law courts, HRW said.

Libya

• Libya's Olympic committee president was taken from his car by gunmen in Tripoli on Sunday and his whereabouts are unknown, colleagues said. Nabil Elalem was in his car with a colleague when two vehicles carrying men in military-style clothing blocked them off, another colleague, Arafat Jwan, said.

The Guardian's Saeed Kamali Dehghan writes that despite Tehran's unwavering support for Bashar al-Assad, a public debate on Syria is taking place in Iran.

Even conservative figures within the Iranian regime have begun to question Tehran's support for Assad, implicitly calling upon their seniors to think twice about the man they are supporting. The Wall Street Journal reported last week that a group of Iranian diplomats have joined the public debate over Syria and "publicly questioning whether Tehran should continue supporting Syria's regime". "The entire world is against Syria and we are standing here defending Syria, a country accused of crimes against humanity. We are not playing this game very well," the WSJ quoted Iranian diplomat, Mohamad Ali Sobhani, as saying, citing the semi-official news website, Khabaronline.ir. Sobhani has served as Iran's ambassador to Lebanon and Jordan ... As the circle of the Syrian regime's allies narrows, Iran appears to be contemplating a backup plan should Assad fall. Iran's foreign minister Ali Akbar Salehi said that his country has already contacted the Syrian opposition and is ready to host crisis talks between them and the Syrian government. "The Islamic Republic of Iran is ready to sit down with the Syrian opposition and invite them to Iran," Salehi said in quotes carried by the semi-official Isna news agency. "We are ready to facilitate and provide the conditions for talks between the opposition and the government." Despite the supreme leader Aytollah Ali Khamenei and his revolutionary guards' staunch support for al-Assad, an increasing number of people in the country appear to be asking themselves whether Iran is on the right side of history over Syria.

A Turkish journalist says there has been a sizeable defection of government soldiers, who have fled to Turkey.

One Syrian major, two major sergeants and two soldiers, along with 198 people, defected and fled to Turkey. — Mahir Zeynalov (@MahirZeynalov) July 16, 2012

The previous post featured a video with the sound of gunfire and explosions in the Nahar Eishe neighbourhood of Damascus.

The Local Co-ordination Committees opposition activist group says there are reports that three people have been killed there today. It says:

Snipers are ascending to high places and government building, they target anything that moves.

It is impossible for the Guardian to verify this information.

A demonstration reportedly took place in Nahar Eishe earlier today and protesters started a fire that temporarily closed the international road running between Damascus and Jordan.

Another fire was reportedly started by protesters in Khalid Bin Waleed Street in the heart of Damascus.

A group calling itself - somewhat ironically given the update - the Coalition of Free Damascenes For Peaceful Change, reports that the Free Syrian Army has destroyed an armoured vehicle in the Midan neighbourhood of the capital. The Guardian cannot independently verify this information.

Another video from al-Jazeera Mubasher's livestream from Midan, shows apparent Free Syrian Army fighters brandishing weapons. The sound of intense gunfire can once more be heard in the background.

Another video features the sound of gunfire and explosions purportedly in the Nahar Eishe neighbourhood of Damascus today.

The fighting in Damascus briefly closed the highway linking the capital with Damascus international airport to the city's south, an unprecedented development, Mustafa Osso, an activist based in Syria told AP.

He said:



It seems there is a new strategy to bring the fighting into the centre of the capital. The capital used to be safe. This will trouble the regime.

But another Syrian activist, Susan Ahmad, told al-Jazeera English the fighting was initiated by government forces because the Free Syrian Army had secured a foothold at striking distance from major state installations.

Al-Jazeera Mubasher has been livestreaming from the Midan neighbourhood of Damascus, scene of clashes between government troops and the rebel Free Syrian Army today. The video is reportedly taken from behind FSA lines.

This video is taken from the livestream.

The sound of intense gunfire can be heard.

Syria is refusing to grant visas to western aid workers, Reuters reports, citing a senior UN aid official:

"We have a number of visas pending for international staff from a number of Western countries - the United States, Canada, the U.K., France and one or two more - that are refused their visas because of their nationalities," John Ging told reporters after chairing the fourth Syrian humanitarian forum. "That is something we object to very strongly and are working with the Syrian government to overcome," he said after the closed-door talks in Geneva attended by Syria's envoy Faysal Khabbaz Hamoui. UN officials were taking up the visa issue "on a daily basis" with Syrian authorities, who otherwise have been upholding an agreement reached in early June for expanding the UN aid operation, he said. Ging also said Syria's wheat harvest would fall by more than 700,000 tonnes this year, citing the result of a survey carried out by two UN agencies, the World Food Programme (WFP) and Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), due to be issued next week. Syria consumes 4 million to 5 million tonnes of wheat a year but harvests over the last in last six years have fallen short of that, forcing it to import wheat. "That is something we need to be prepared to cope with because there will be less wheat on the market," Ging told Reuters. The WFP - whose food rations are distributed by the Syrian Arab Red Crescent - aims to feed 850,000 people in Syria in July, up from 500,000 in June, he said.

Egypt: The country's official news agency says the prosecutor general has ordered that ex-President Hosni Mubarak be moved from a luxurious military hospital back to prison, now that his health has improved, AP reports.

It was an indication of Mubarak's stabilising health after he was rushed from a prison hospital last month. At the time, he was said to be near death after suffering a stroke. Prosecutor General Abdel Maguid Mahmoud's decision means Mubarak could be back in prison later today. The 84-year-old Mubarak was sentenced to life in prison for failing to stop the killing of hundreds of protesters during last year's uprising against his regime.

He was held in a military hospital before the verdict, and after a brief incarceration in a prison hospital, he was taken back to a military facility.

Here's a summary of the main developments so far today:

Syria

• Fierce fighting has continued in Damascus for the second day in a row. Armoured vehicles have reportedly entered the central neighbourhood of Midan - where government troops and the rebel Free Syrian Army are clashing - in what has been described as the biggest military deployment in the capital since the beginning of the uprising against Bashar al-Assad. Activists also report clashes between the two sides in Kafr Souseh, Zahera and Tadoman in the capital. Fighting has been reported in other cities, including Aleppo, Hama and Idlib.

• Major-General Adnan Sillu, the former head of Syria's chemical weapons programme, has reportedly defected. Sillu is said to have taken up a post as head of the joint military leadership of the FSA.

• The Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, has reiterated his country's stance on Syria and accused the west of "elements of blackmail" in threats that the UN observer mission would fail to see its mandate extended later this month if Moscow failed to agree to UN sanctions. Lavrov is due to host the UN-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan in Moscow tonight. Annan will meet President Vladimir Putin tomorrow. Lavrov said that Russia is not taking sides in the conflict but that it remains opposed to western intervention there.

• Morocco has asked the Syrian ambassador to leave the country immediately and declared him persona non grata. Syria wasted little time in retaliating and declaring the Moroccan ambassador to Syria, persona non grata.

• The UK foreign secretary, William Hague, has called for a UN security council resolution warning Syria of "serious consequences" for breaches of a peace plan. "The British government believes it is it is imperative to have a chapter seven resolution of the security council, which should mandate the implementation of the Kofi Annan peace plan and of a transitional government," he said.

Egypt

• The new administration of President Mohamed Morsi should take urgent steps to address sectarian violence, Human Rights Watch said today. The administration should ensure that those responsible for the violence are identified, investigated, and prosecuted in courts that meet international fair trial standards and order a retrial of those sentenced by discredited emergency law courts, HRW said.

Libya

• Libya's Olympic committee president was taken from his car by gunmen in Tripoli on Sunday and his whereabouts are unknown, colleagues said. Nabil Elalem was in his car with a colleague when two vehicles carrying men in military-style clothing blocked them off, another colleague, Arafat Jwan, said.

As some people have been discussing below the line, the UK foreign secretary, William Hague, is in Libya today. He has been talking about Syria. Chris Stephen, in Tripoli, writes for guardian.co.uk:

William Hague has called for a UN security council resolution warning Syria of "serious consequences" for breaches of a peace plan, as the UN envoy Kofi Annan arrived in Moscow to urge stronger Russian support for pressure on Damascus. "The situation in Syria continues to deteriorate alarmingly. We have seen even more terrible massacres in recent days," the foreign secretary said during a visit to Libya. "The British government believes it is it is imperative to have a chapter seven resolution of the security council, which should mandate the implementation of the Kofi Annan peace plan and of a transitional government." He said the language of the resolution should "threaten serious consequences for non-compliance in that plan", but did not spell out what those consequences should be.

Hague also revealed that Metropolitan police officers would visit Tripoli this week to continue investigating the killing of PC Yvonne Fletcher outside the Libyan embassy in London in 1984.

A map created by the Guardian shows where the fighting is occurring in the Syrian capital. There is a screengrab below but if you click through to the original and hover over the place names you will be able to find out more about what is happening where.

The fighting in Damascus yesterday was described as the heaviest in the capital since the conflict in Syria began and there have been further fierce clashes today.

Syria has wasted little time in retaliating after Morrocco asked the Syrian ambassador to leave the country immediately and declared him persona non grata (see 11.23am).

Syria has just considered the accredited Moroccan Ambassadorto Syria ( Persona Non Grata) #Syria #Morocco — Jihad Makdissi (@Makdissi) July 16, 2012

Regime troops have been looting and burning shops in al-Tadoman, Damascus, according to the Local Co-ordination Committees opposition group.

Yesterday, an activist told Reuters that what happened in Tadoman could determine whether the government is able to stop the fighting in the capital escalating. He said:

If the regime is able to crush the fighters in Tadamon, the clashes should stop, but if not they may spread further.

Some of the fiercest fighting today appears to be in the Midan neighbourhood of Damascus.

Reuters has more from the central Damascus neighbourhood of Midan, where fierce fighting has been reported between government troops and the rebel Free Syrian Army.

"The rebels are trying to hold the army off in al-Zahra al-Jadeeda (neighbourhood). There is fighting there and the sound of bombardment and rocket-propelled grenades is echoing from there," Radeef, an opposition activist, said by phone from Midan. "Armoured vehicles are now deployed in the rest of Midan and army snipers have taken positions on rooftops." Another activist said residents of the large neighbourhood were staying indoors and the only movement seen was that of the army and its armour and rebels in the alleyways of the old district, which has been rebuilt since it was shelled during a rebellion against French occupation in the 1920s. The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and other opposition sources said residents of Nahr Aisheh, a poor Sunni neighbourhood south of Midan, had blocked the main Damascus-Amman highway with rocks and burning tyres to try and relieve pressure on Midan.

A video (WARNING: graphic content) has been posted on YouTube purporting to show a security forces car destroyed by the Free Syrian Army in Midan today, with personnel still inside it.

Morocco's foreign ministry says it has asked the Syrian ambassador to leave the country immediately and declared him persona non grata, Reuters reports.

There was no immediate comment from the Syrian embassy. Earlier in the day, a Syrian embassy official denied speculation that the ambassador had defected

Armoured vehicles have entered the district of Midan in central Damascus to help troops drive out rebels who have secured a foothold at a striking distance from major state installations, neighbourhood activists have told Reuters.

This video purports to show smoke rising near Midan today.

From Reuters:

In the biggest armoured deployment in Damascus in the 17-month uprising against President Bashar al-Assad, infantry fighting vehicles took positions along the main thoroughfares of Midan, a strategic Sunni Muslim neighbourhood, as rebels withdrew to alleyways and sporadic fighting was reported, they said.

A video (Arabic) purports to show Major-General Adnan Sillu, the former head of Syria's chemical weapons programme, confirming his defection.

The text accompanying the video says Sillu is now the head of the joint military leadership of the FSA.

The Guardian's Moscow correspondent, Miriam Elder, has been sitting through the press conference given by the Russian foreign minister. She writes:

Sergei Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, just wrapped up an hour long press conference, confirming that despite an increase in diplomatic activity, Russia's fundamental position on Syria hasn't changed. Lavrov is due to host Kofi Annan tonight. Annan will then meet with Vladimir Putin, the president, tomorrow. Syrian opposition leaders were in Moscow last week. Lavrov reiterated his stance that Russia is not taking sides in the conflict, but that it remains opposed to western intervention there. He lashed out at the west for blaming Russia and said that he saw "elements of blackmail" in threats that the UN observer mission in Syria, which Russia supports, would fail to see its mandate extended later this month if Moscow failed to agree to UN sanctions, which it has criticised.

Hundreds of people have fled fierce fighting in the Syrian capital, activists have told Reuters:

Heavy clashes broke out between rebels and government forces in the Syrian capital Damascus for the second day running on Monday, forcing hundreds to flee, activists said.



"There are clashes now in Midan and Zahera, two cars were burned," said one activist referring to two districts in Damascus. Another activist said violence had also broken out in the city's southern district of Tadamon. Earlier in the morning columns of armoured vehicles were seen on the main road leading to Tadamon. Activists said Sunday's violence was the heaviest fighting in the capital since the start of the 17-month-old revolt against President Bashar al-Assad.

Damascus is not the only place where there are clashes between government troops and the rebel Free Syrian Army, according to the Local Coordination Committees activist group.

Here are some of its updates from other cities.

Aleppo: Ezaz: Intense helicopter shelling from Mengh military airport, the School of Infnatry and tanks stationed on the outskirts of the city amid clashes between the Free Syrian Army and the regime's army Hama: Intense clashed between the Free Syrian Army and the regime's army in Hamidiyeh neighborhood.



Idlib: Kafryahmoul: Omar Yousef Hussein, a young man, was martyred in Salqeen due to clashes between the Free Syrian Army and the regime's army

The head of Syria's former chemical weapons programme has defected, it is being reported.

#Saudi newspaper Al-Sharq al-Awsat confirms defection of #Syria's former chemical weapons head, Maj-Gen Adnan Sillu. Joined Free Syrian Army — Jon Williams (@WilliamsJon) July 16, 2012

On Friday, CNN reported that Syria was believed to be moving "some" chemical weapons, for unknown reasons. The stockpile is believed to be under the control of regime forces.

Speaking in Moscow, Russia's foreign minister Sergei Lavrov (pictured left) has said that the threat of sanctions against Syria in the new UN resolution drafted by western countries contains "elements of blackmail". The UN-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan is in Moscow to try to break the diplomatic deadlock but Lavrov signalled no change in Russia's position

He said that Russia does not support Bashar al-Assad but it supports Annan's plan to end the violence. Lavrov said there should be a ceasefire on both sides and Russia rejects any military interference.

The Local Co-ordination Committees opposition activist group has reported clashes in a number of Damascus neighbourhoods. Here are some of its updates from today.

Jobar: Fierce clashes are taking place between the Free Syrian Army and the regime's

Kafr Souseh: Violent clashes between regime forces and the Free Syrian Army near Mohalaq Janobi

This video purports to capture the sound of the clashes in Kafr Souseh.

Al-Tadamon: Renewed mortar shelling at the neighbourhood since the early morning hours

Palestine Refugee Camps: Violent Clashes between the Free Syrian Army and the regime's army near Palestine Roundabout

Good morning. Welcome to Middle East Live. Intense fighting is reportedly continuing in Damascus.

Syria

• Activists reports fresh fierce clashes between the Free Syrian Army and government troops in Damascus after Sunday saw what residents said were the worst clashes to hit the capital so far. Rebels from the Free Syrian Army seem to be creeping ever closer to the centre of Damascus, the BBC reports. Activists said on Sunday that the Syrian army had closed down the road to the airport and was trying to surround fighters in southern neighbourhoods such as al-Tadamon and Hajar al-Aswad in an attempt to crush unrest inside Damascus.

• The UN and Arab League envoy, Kofi Annan, will meet the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, and Russia's foreign minister in Moscow today as he seeks to break the diplomatic deadlock on Syria. Western countries are pushing for a chapter 7 UN security council resolution, which could pave the way for the use of force. Russia has said it will not support such a resolution.

• The International Committee of the Red Cross says Syria is now in a state of civil war. The ICRC is considered to be a guardian of the Geneva conventions, which prescribe the rules of warfare. The declaration signals that the Geneva-based organisation regards all civilians and detainees as protected under international law. Therefore it could help lay the ground for war crimes prosecutions.

• The Syrian government on Sunday denied that it used tanks and helicopters to attack the village of Tremseh in Hama province on Thursday. Activists reported mass killings in the village, but foreign ministry spokesman Jihad Makdissi said only two civilians and 37 armed individuals were killed in what Damascus said was a defensive operation. He denied the army had used tanks, helicopters and heavy weapons to target the town.

Egypt

• Egypt's top military official stepped up his feud with the Muslim Brotherhood on Sunday, saying the army would prevent Egypt from falling to a "certain group," the New York Times reports, citing the state news agency. The remarks by the official, Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, did not mention the Brotherhood by name but were widely seen as a reference to the group and to Mohamed Morsi, Egypt's newly elected president and a former Brotherhood leader. And they came just hours after secretary of state Hillary Rodham Clinton met with the field marshal in Cairo in an effort to prod Egypt's military to hand its power to civilians.

• Egypt's political upheaval will be the focus of discussions when Clinton visits Israel today, Reuters reports. "At the top of it (her agenda) will be her impressions and assessment of the last two days that she spent in Egypt," a senior US official told reporters on condition of anonymity. "She is bringing a very calming message," Danny Ayalon, the Israeli deputy foreign minister, told Israel Radio. "By their (the US) reckoning as well, Egypt's agenda, and certainly President Morsi's agenda, will be a domestic agenda."

Libya

• Libya's Olympic committee president was taken from his car by gunmen in Tripoli on Sunday and his whereabouts are unknown, colleagues said. Nabil Elalem was in his car with a colleague when two vehicles carrying men in military-style clothing blocked them off, another colleague, Arafat Jwan, said.