Free Republic

Diplomats say head of Syrian military intelligence has convinced Assad that only war will bring Israel to negotiation table. In Damascus, it is forbidden to photograph him and diffuse pictures that can identify him. He has tight security around him at all times and avoids attending public events. General Asef Shawkat, the head of Syrian military intelligence, has good reasons to be in hiding. "If military confrontations break out between Syria and Israel, that would be the fulfillment of the general's plan," a Lebanese official told Yediot Ahronoth. Having opened the doors of the Syrian Army to Iranian experts, now...

US freezes Syrian chief's assets Washington has frozen all US assets held by Syria's military intelligence chief, accusing him of contributing to violence in Lebanon and Iraq. Asef Shawkat, brother-in-law of President Bashar al-Assad, is said by the US to have promoted terrorism and interference in Lebanese affairs. He is also accused by Washington of playing a direct role in Syria's alleged support for militants in Iraq. There was no immediate response from Mr Shawkat to the US decision. It is the latest US action apparently aimed at increasing pressure on the Syrian government. Damascus has been under heavy international...

UNITED NATIONS - The lead investigator in the assassination of a top Lebanese politician acknowledged Friday that he deleted references from his report implicating two relatives of Syria's president, raising questions about whether the U.N. tried to soften the inquiry's findings. The report, which accused key Syrian and Lebanese security officials of orchestrating the Feb. 14 bombing that killed former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri and 20 others, was nonetheless a stinging rebuke of Damascus' regime. The findings caused an uproar in the region and brought swift denials of involvement from the government of Syrian President Bashar Assad. In an...

PRESIDENT ASSAD of Syria, under increasing pressure from Washington to end his country’s links with terrorism, will be powerless to do so, intelligence sources said. He remains a prisoner of his own intelligence barons and the rest of the “old guard” in Damascus. These shadowy figures and the other power- brokers who owed allegiance to President Assad’s late father will dictate how Syria responds to US demands to sever all links with the terrorist group Hezbollah and to refuse sanctuary to members of Saddam Hussein’s deposed regime. One intelligence source said: “President Assad has reforming instincts, but his hands are...