Well they are continuing to update free-lebanon.com not backing down from their story. Still seems like a super long shot, but at the VERY least, an highly interesting piece of 'fiction'
March 18, 2005
Damascus Rebellion: Update #4
Syria's Secret Wars
The following information arrived from Syria last night:
The Air force base of Dumair around the capital Damascus has been attacked. This base for the Syrian Air force is in charge of protecting the capital Damascus. Maher el Assad who is in charge "temporarily" of the Air Force Military Intelligence command gave the orders to attack the base. There are around 15 Syrian officers pilots dead, the base has been "cleaned up" after the attack and the presumed casualties have been declared "transferred" to a different military base within Syria. Another attack was launched against a similar military base around Katana and West of Homs in Syria, we have no reports yet of the number of casualties there. This news was confirmed from delicate sources within the Syrian Military.
The withdrawal of the Syrian Army from Lebanon precipitated a negative moral effect on the Alawite regime in Syria. Things were getting unstable inside the Syrian military after the withdrawal from Lebanon. On one side between Sunnis and Alawite and the other side between Old Guard officers and New Guard in charge of the regime.
When President Bashar Assad assumed power in Syria, his first move he did was to replace the Old Guard by a New Guard to better protect his regime interests. Indeed, General Ghazi Kannan was removed from "Military Intelligence" duty and given the "Interior Ministry" in Syria. General Hassan Khalil who headed the Military Intelligence was also removed from his post and replaced by his deputy then General Assef Shawkat, Bashar's brother in law.
The removal of Ghazi Kanaan from the military Intelligence didn't prevent Kanaan from retaining a powerful structure within the Alawite command in Syria, indeed he had and still has popularity among the Army and Intelligence officers.
To consolidate his relations with the West, Kanaan kept in contact with the "CIA" station based in Jordan. He hoped that one day they will help him consolidate Syria under his control in a fashion that he will become Syria's strong man in the future. He mislead the Americans many time in Iraq, and is still misleading them by playing a double game in helping and deceiving them at the same time to gain US trust to enforce his political stature inside Syria and gain the momentum to defeat the US Forces in Iraq--an old traditional Syrian game .
Ghazi Kanaan, unhappy from his withdrawal of his Military Intelligence position, pushed General Rustom Ghazaleh, his trusted "lieutenant," to fill his place in the Syrian Military Intelligence for Lebanon, a structure that control a billion dollar industry in that country. Rustom is a loyal officer that does not oppose nor object to Ghazi's sympathies and loyalties. When President Assad decided on the withdrawal of the Syrian Troops from Lebanon, Kanaan, to test the water with Bashar Regime, financed and supported a military and intelligence network within the Army and the Intelligence apparatus to stay loyal to him and extend his influence on the ground. Kanaan's, staying behind the scenes, network started to distribute news among the Syrian Army against the withdrawal from Lebanon and its danger to the Alawite community. Without taking any chances, the Regime alarmed that this situation could spread inside the military and go out of control, 3 military bases were attacked simultaneously around 3 AM by Air and Land assault. Most of the Syrian officer dead were military pilots at the Doumair base in charge of protecting Damascus. There are some casualties in Katana and around Homs bases also, we do not have details yet as this hour. We will try to provide few names at a later stage.
Intelligence indications coming from Syria reported that Kanaan was rallying support among the Army barracks and Intelligence networks in Damascus. President Bashar Assad left the capital leaving Gen. Assef Shawkat in place trying to defuse the tension and find a compromise. There are no indication of the whereabout of President Assad as this hour. Reports indicate he was between Aleppo and Western Syria, some demonstrations were held yesterday in Tartous favoring his support .
The situation is calm today but the tension remains very high within the military, yet things can break out any minute . The situation looks normal but is not normal.
The divisions are deep within the Army and Intelligence command between Gen. Assef Shawkat, Bashar and Maher Assad versus Ghazi Kanaan and his group of officers in the Army and Intelligence. There is a temporary "truce" declared to figure out the outcome of this reality but nobody can predict its durability as every camp is reinforcing its potential for survival. Both Syrian camps have weight, influence and power within the Alawite constituency in Syria.
Yesterday, by instruction of Ghazi Kanaan, Syrian General Rustom Ghazaleh held a meeting with all the Security Chiefs of the Lebanese Intelligence services in the Presidential Palace in Lebanon with the knowledge of President Lahoud. The purpose of the meeting was to put a political plan into action to clear them and clear Syria from any involvement in Prime Minister Hariri's murder. Technically, after taking their time to remove and clear all evidence of Syria participation in the Hariri murder, General Jamil Asseyed, in a secret understanding with General Rustom Ghazaleh, held a press conference yesterday putting himself at the service of the investigation.
We hope our friends in Damascus had a nice Party last night as we warn them the situation is not as "normal" as they think. The Regime in Syria is not going to brief the US Press, nor the Embassy nor the Syrian Public as to what is being prepared and done secretly behind the scenes.
Things are reaching a serious stage