On Tuesday Reuters reported that the military would suspend the Islamist-shaped constitution and dissolve the country's Islamist-dominated parliament unless President Mohammed Morsi agree on power-sharing with other political forces before a Wednesday deadline.
Morsi then called on the Egyptian army to withdraw its ultimatum, saying that he rejects any attempt to override constitutional legitimacy as well as any domestic or foreign pressures.
The opposition responded: "Morsi's tweet is pushing [the] country toward 'civil war,'" according to Bloomberg.
Addressing the nation, Morsi admitted mistakes and said that the country is being held back by the former regime.
Morsi: The remnants of the former regime, the "deep state", are bent on continuing their corruption....
— Aleem Maqbool (@AleemMaqbool) July 2, 2013
"The new experience of democracy is a challenge," he said (as translated), adding later: "Legitimacy is the only guarentee to preserve our country and move into a new stage."
Sources told Reuters that the military intended to install an interim council of mixed affiliation to run the country until an amended constitution was drafted within months.
But the military's threat has clearly galvanized Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood.
Just spoke at some length w- senior MB official. Tone was defiant, even more than expected. Basic takeaway: "We're in this until the end."
— Shadi Hamid (@shadihamid) July 2, 2013
A military source told Reuters that as many as 14 million of the country's 84 million took part in Sunday's demonstrations — the largest in Egypt's 5,000 year history—and on Tuesday that number may have grown with the addition of Morsi's backers.
PHOTO: #Egypt divided as protesters for and against President Morsi gather in Cairo http://t.co/OARx7JXZO9pic.twitter.com/7vNNBGbJwu
— BBC Breaking News (@BBCBreaking) July 2, 2013
Middle East analyst Shami Witness put it perfectly:
#PreviousRetweet shows the deep divide in Egypt. Pro-Morsi side has caught up now with numbers,all thanks to coup threats from SCAF.
— Shami Witness (@ShamiWitness) July 2, 2013
@HafsaHalawa@Ziya_Meral Pic from Sky News Arabia .pic.twitter.com/kggX8PA6gY
— Shami Witness (@ShamiWitness) July 2, 2013
Nevertheless, here's what Tahrir square looked like a few hours back:
At least seven people have been killed in pro & anti-government clashes on Tuesday, according to Egypt's health ministry says.
The military has said that the ultimatum is not a coup, and it will “not be a party in politics or rule.” However, it added that the armed forces have a responsibility to find a solution because Egypt’s national security is facing a “grave danger.”
The dismal Egyptian economy, which many see as the single largest cause of the unrest, has taken a back seat to the standoff between Morsi and the military.
Anybody got one freaking idea on how to fix the economy ? tanking economic conditions are the no.1 reason why so many protested #Egypt
— Shami Witness (@ShamiWitness) July 2, 2013
We'll be updating this post as more information becomes available.