Rumors aplenty right now.
Al-Arabiya reporting that the presidential plane took off from Damascus with Assad on board, heading for Lattakia, around an hour ago.
Numerous rumors in diplomatic circles (and the FSA has posted as much itself, also, around 30 mins ago) that Assad’s convoy was attacked earlier today, that he’s in fact been wounded and flown to Lattakia for medical treatment.
The BBC (according to some, though I haven’t seen this myself) have reported that Assad’s wife Asma is already in Russia.
Most disturbingly of all, a Syrian military spokesman on AJA around 75 mins ago stated that regime was now ready to use chemical weapons against ‘terrorist insurgents’. Since then, numerous residents of Damascus have tweeted that elite 4th brigade units have been issued with gas masks en masse in the streets of the capital.
It’s difficult to know what’s true and what’s not, at the moment. But entire neighborhoods of Damascus are warzones right now, with missiles and attack helicopters firing at will on all and sundry.
Had not heard about the gas masks. I figured Assad would send his family out. The House of Assad is falling. He may face the same rough treatment Qaddafi got. Ending up as a ventriloquist’s doll is no fun...