Syrian Arab News Agency
Prominent political cartoonist Ali Ferzat was reportedly kidnapped and beaten by pro-government assailants before being released near Damascus International Airport. The identity of his attackers was unclear, with some attributing the beating to Syrian security forces. Some reports said both his hands were broken as a "warning" to dissuade him from drawing. Residents near Latakia and in Deir ez-Zor said they heard gunfire near their homes, the head of the Arab Organization for Human Rights claimed. The LCC said tanks again shelled Deir ez-Zor throughout the day, and at least 118 tanks were reported to be in Shuhail to the city's immediate southeast. The state-controlled Syrian Arab News Agency reported eight soldiers, including an army officer, were ambushed and killed in two separate attacks by "armed terrorist groups" in Homs Governorate the previous afternoon. The report said at least seven soldiers were wounded in one of the attacks when "terrorists" shot at a military bus in Talbisah. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad offered a measured criticism of the Syrian government for the first time, calling for a national dialogue in a televised interview and saying, "When there is a problem between the people and their leaders, they must sit down together to reach a solution, away from violence." The Syrian opposition prepared to launch new Friday mass protests, this time dubbed under the name '"Friday of Patience and Steadfastness'".