Syria's president holding firm

CNN Security Blog ^ | 3/10/2012 | Barbara Starr

[U-238]

Despite reports of high-level defections of government and military officials, U.S. intelligence sees no signs of significant deterioration of support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad by his inner circle, senior U.S. intelligence officials said Friday.

Read also: U.N. envoy to meet with Syria's president

The officials, who would speak only on the condition that their names not be used, said that to date, the defections have been of lower-level officials and those in the military. None of those defections, including the group of military officers who are reported to have defected this week, are close enough to al-Assad to truly make a difference, the senior intelligence officials said.

Al-Assad and his inner circle remain convinced that they are fighting a foreign-backed enemy, the officials said.

"This leadership is going to fight very hard," one official said. "Assad is very much in charge of how Syria is handling this."

The officials said that Syria's crumbling economy could be the president's Achilles' heel, noting that fuel and food prices are significantly higher and unemployment has nearly doubled since 2010.

Still, al-Assad's grip continues and the officials said they believe he is using unmanned aerial vehicles - or drones - to conduct targeting and collect overhead intelligence about opposition movements on the ground. The drones are both Syrian built and Iranian supplied. Iran has provided further aid as part of what the officials described as "all-in" support for al-Assad.

Iran has also provided small arms and assistance in helping the Syrian government use computer monitoring to rout out opposition using social media and other Internet tools. The intelligence officials described the assistance as similar to the tools used by Iran to suppress its own revolution. In addition, Iran has supplied riot control gear including tear gas agents, truncheons and water cannons.

[Falcon4.0]

WTF? It’s GREAT to be the King!

[nuconvert]

As long as he keeps getting help from Iran & the Russians, he’s not going anywhere.

[caww]

The drones are both Syrian built and Iranian supplied. Iran has provided further aid as part of what the officials described as "all-in" support for al-Assad. Iran has also provided small arms and assistance in helping the Syrian government use computer monitoring to rout out opposition using social media and other Internet tools. The intelligence officials described the assistance as similar to the tools used by Iran to suppress its own revolution. In addition, Iran has supplied riot control gear including tear gas agents, truncheons and water cannons.

Any doubt this is Irans war to protect it's turf? Syria is Iran in a manner of speaking.

Interesting idea is what if this is to destabilize Iran further since it is occupying time and military hardware from Iran to Syria....a diversion from what's going to Hit Iran in the near future by splitting their focus.

[LjubivojeRadosavljevic]

Al-Assad and his inner circle remain convinced that they are fighting a foreign-backed enemy, the officials said.

That's right, and more specifically, it's Obama's "muslim brother-hood" organization---surely any idiot knows this.

[U-238]

I agree. Iran will not destabilize. We all know what the IRGC does do civilians when they speak against the government. They eliminate all dissent. Syria is taking this from their playbook. Major General Qassem Suleimani of Quds force has a special place in Assads inner circle

[U-238]

I agree with you.

[U-238]

Syia is also taking some pointers from Putin’s playbook.
“Silence,Encircle,Pulverize,and Cleanse.” Homs is past the “pulverize” phase and heading into the cleanse phase.

[hummingbird]

"The officials said that Syria's crumbling economy could be the president's Achilles' heel, noting that fuel and food prices are significantly higher and unemployment has nearly doubled since 2010. Still, al-Assad's grip continues and the officials said they believe he is using unmanned aerial vehicles - or drones - to conduct targeting and collect overhead intelligence about opposition movements on the ground. The drones are both Syrian built and Iranian supplied. Iran has provided further aid as part of what the officials described as "all-in" support for al-Assad.

Gosh, where/what country also sounds like this. Oh, I know - Obama's and his Tsar's. Obama and his fellow travelers are ruining USA. Got to stop them!"

[U-238]

Assad is not going anywhere. Russia,China,Iran and possibly Pakistan is squarely on Assad side. The Russians are not going to lose the naval port at Tartus.

[org.whodat]

So all we need to do is put a few thousand nuts in washinton DC and demand obummer leave, and the militray and state department and nato and the un will all get in line and tell the little dummy to leave. Ok,

[nuconvert]

The crap the White House is trying to float about Assad’s days being over or coming to an end, is just that...crap.
The only way I see that happening, is if someone actually kills Assad. His military will start to crumble afterward.

The help the Saudis & others are giving the Syrian opposition isn’t going to be enough, and they don’t want to directly start warring with Syria. And no one is going to fight a proxy war with the Russians, including us.
Tens of thousands of Syrians will be killed over the coming months, and Assad will retain his leadership and that will be the end of it. He’ll be ostracized for a while and then things will get back to business as usual.

...unless someone actually kills him.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks U-238.

...senior U.S. intelligence officials... who would speak only on the condition that their names not be used, said that to date, the defections have been of lower-level officials and those in the military. None of those defections, including the group of military officers who are reported to have defected this week, are close enough to al-Assad to truly make a difference, the senior intelligence officials said. Al-Assad and his inner circle remain convinced that they are fighting a foreign-backed enemy...