9.03am GMT

Welcome to Middle East Live.

Here's a roundup of the latest developments:

Syria

• Syrian rebels are launching a major operation to take control of the strategic eastern city of Deir Ezzor after pushing out government forces from oil-producing areas around it, a rebel commander told Reuters. Ibrahim Abu Baker, leader of the powerful Al-Qadisiyah Brigade, said his rebel force, along with Islamists from Jabhat al-Nusra and Arab fighters, had surrounded the city on four sides in the build-up to the operation.

• The Syrian government is ready to send a minister abroad for talks with Moaz al-Khatib, leader of the opposition Syrian National Coalition, who recently threw rebel politics into turmoil by coming out in favour of dialogue with the regime. "I am willing to meet Mr Khatib in any foreign city where I can go in order to discuss preparations for a national dialogue", Ali Haidar, the minister for national reconciliation, told the Guardian's Jonathan Steele in Damascus. His remarks were the most positive response the Syrian government has yet given to the opposition leader's surprise change of line.

• Khatib claims growing support for his initiative among the opposition. On his Twitter feed he cited a poll which found that more than 4,000 people backed the idea of talks with the government with fewer than 300 against.

محبو أ. معاذ الخطيب (@KhatibMouaz) تصويت أجراه "شاهد من قلب الحدث" حول المبادرة، عدد المصوتين: 4426 - مؤيدو المبادرة: 4027 - لا أعرف: 105 - معارضون: 294 twitter.com/KhatibMouaz/st…

• A Syrian minibus exploded at a crossing on Turkey's border with Syria near the Turkish town of Reyhanli on Monday, killing at least 13 people and wounding dozens more, Turkish officials said. The minibus exploded as it was driving through a stretch of no-man's land between the two countries only metres away from the Turkish border gate, where scores of Syrian civilians and Turkish humanitarian workers were congregated.

• The number of Syrian refugees has topped 800,000, according to the latest UN count, as the number of people fleeing the violence continues to increase at the rate of around 5,000 per day. The total number of rrefugees and individuals awaiting registration stood at 807,706 as of 10 February. On the previous count taken on 7 February the number stood at 792,118.

• Rebel fighters have vowed to divert power supplies to rebel held areas after seizing control of Syria's largest hyrdroelectric dam, the New York Times reports. “We will cut all sources for the regime,” it quotes one rebel as saying.

• The United Nations should not wait for Syria’s go-ahead to deliver humanitarian aid to the opposition-held areas, according to Human Rights Watch. It urges the UN and other donors to immediately expand support to non-governmental organisations already able to deliver aid from Turkey. UN involvement in the cross-border deliveries would help ensure a more effective and co-ordinated aid effort, it said citing humanitarian officials. Sarah Leah Whitson, the group's Middle East director, said: “A simple word from the Syrian government could make reaching those in need much easier – but even without it there is more donors can do.”

Egypt

• Protests are outside Egyptian embassies across the world to demonstrate over sexual violence against women in Egypt. The protests are being co-ordinated by Women Uprising in the Arab world and include a planned demonstration on Tuesday evening in Cairo's Talaat Harb Square, according to the blogger Zeinobia.

• Protesters demanding the departure of President Mohamed Morsi clashed with police outside his palace on Monday on the second anniversary of the overthrow of Hosni Mubarak. Dozens of youths threw rocks at the Ettihadiya Palace after a peaceful march by thousands of demonstrators who accused Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood of hijacking Egypt's democratic revolution and seeking to monopolise power. Police responded by firing water cannon and teargas from the walls of the presidential compound.

Tunisia

• The party of Tunisian president Moncef Marzouk has reversed its decision to withdraw from the Islamist-led government, the BBC reports, citing an official. The secular CPR party said it would stay in the coalition for another week to give talks a chance, he said.