Today, tension is mounting in the Egyptian capital Cairo after the military staged an apparent show of strength during a sixth day of anti-government protests.
Two air force jets and a helicopter repeatedly flew low over Tahrir (Liberation) Square, the main gathering point for demonstrators.
A column of tanks arrived there only to have its path blocked by protesters.
Amid the stand-off, leading opposition figure Mohamed ElBaradei arrived in Tahrir Square to address protesters.
“You have taken back your rights and what we have begun cannot go back,” he said, quoted by Reuters news agency.
“I bow to the people of Egypt in respect. I ask of you patience, change is coming in the next few days.”
Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has called for an “orderly transition” of power in Egypt.
She told ABC News that Washington wanted to see change that would bring about a democratic government.
“We want to see restraint, we do not want to see violence by any security forces,” she added. (BBC)