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Gunfire was widely heard throughout the capital and at least five helicopters were circling scenes of clashes, amid widespread panic on the streets below Military troops have opened a large-scale assault against hundreds of anti-government protesters occupying a landmark square in Bahrain’s capital. The focal point for Bahrain’s demonstrators was again over-run by riot police in a nationwide crackdown aimed at crushing the two month anti-government uprising. Smoke was billowing for the landmark site, known as Pearl Roundabout, and the scent of tear gas wafted through many locations in Manama. Gunfire was widely heard throughout the capital and at least five helicopters were circling scenes of clashes, amid widespread panic on the streets below. Riot police entered Manama’s Salmaniya Medical Centre for the first time since the demonstrations began and doctors reported they were being prevented from reaching the hospital and treating patients inside. The police were also preventing casualties from reaching the facility. By 8am, they had closed its main gate and stationed forces outside. This morning’s events are a significant escalation in more than eight weeks of clashes that have threatened the legitimacy of Bahrain’s monarchy and stoked sectarian tensions throughout the Gulf and Saudi Arabia. They follow the arrival of more than 1,000 troops from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), invited to the kingdom by its beseiged rulers. One Amoured Personnel Carrier flying a flag of the United Arab Emirates was seen by bystanders this morning amid a column of troop carriers. Two people were killed during clashes with troops on Tuesday afternoon. Demonstrators are bracing for more pitched battles today, in the wake of a state of emergency declared for the next three months by the regime. Pearl Roundabout was first attacked by riot police in mid-February, forcing demonstrators to abandon the site for three days until troops surrendered it under the orders of Bahrain’s Crown Prince. That gesture was supposed to mark a watershed in the protests and the start of a national dialogue between the Shia majority, which accounts for 70% of Bahrain’s population, and the Sunni minority which rules them. However, the dialogue faltered almost before it began, with protesters claiming they could not trust the Government and being unable to agree on their demands. For the last four weeks the roundabout in the central city had been transformed into a hub of activism, with hundreds of tents, supplied food and a media centre. It had taken on almost a folk festival feel. However, the status quo had seemed untenable in the wake of increasing nervousness within the regime about the momentum of the demonstration. Bahrain’s fresh crackdown has the support of the Gulf states who are anxious to avoid the risk that demonstrations will spread their way. However, they had angered nearby Iran, which has supported Bahrain’s Shias in the past and also drawn a rebuke from Hezbollah in Lebanon. Bahrain Protest Martin Chulov guardian.co.uk