Posted on 12/22/2011 5:20:56 AM PST by Eleutheria5
Opposition sources in Syria said Thursday that a top Syrian army general, Mustapha a-Sheikh, has abandoned his post. A-Sheikh is in charge of chemical weapons deployment in eastern Syria. According to the sources, a-Sheikh escaped over the border into Turkey in recent days.
A-Sheikh's defection came on the background of what opposition activists said was an increasing frustration among many army soldiers at being deployed to fight against Syrian citizens. Weeks ago, soldiers were subjected to intense propaganda stressing that the protests were being organized by groups seeking to plunge Syria into anarchy, who were funded by “foreign governments,” but with the daily increasing bloodshed and the growing protests, many soldiers have come to the conclusion that the uprising in Syria is indeed a legitimate expression of protest by Syrians. The sources said that more defections were likely to follow in the coming days. Meanwhile, IDF sources told Army Radio Thursday the increasing instability in Syria is of great concern to Israeli security officials. In recent days Syria has conducted military exercises using its most advanced equipment, and Israeli officials fear there is a strong likelihood that those weapons will find their way to Hizbullah, either before or after Syrian President Bashar al-Assad falls. Among the weapons Syria displayed in its exercises Wednesday were the Russian-made P-800 supersonic Yakhont anti-ship missile. “Our guiding principle is that when there is instability in Syria, with or without Assad, the likelihood of a real conflict in the region is ever greater. That is why we are taking these exercises seriously,” the sources said.
(Excerpt) Read more at israelnationalnews.com ...
Top Syrian General Deserts
Cheese Cake?
Upper brass defecting is the beginning of the end for Assad.
Syria now enters civil war status from insurrection.
Concern that the weapons will end up with Hezbollah? Isn’t Syria a client state of Iran?
Yup, the majority of Syrians would probably like to live a normal life in peace with their neighbors, but when the Islamists grab power in the chaos, Syria will become much, much more dangerous. That's what happened in Iran and is happening in Egypt.
The defectors know who has international backing and want to be on the winning side. Syrian Christians had better prepare themselves for disaster.
Wonder if Assad is thinking about using chemical weapons like Saddam did?
Flambe if you stay.
Yes, Syria is a client state of Iran. It’s doubtful that Assad could hold on to power without Iran. And Hezbollah is a strategic proxy for Iran, as the Sudetenland Germans were for Hitler. Both Syria and Iran use Hezbollah as proxies against Israel.
baklava
My first thought too.
I’d be concerned, since it’s rumored that much of Saddam’s chemical stash ended up there. We don’t need a market bizaar for terrorists sitting off Israel’s doorstep.
“Wonder if Assad is thinking about using chemical weapons like Saddam did?”
Might just very well take Saddams weapons out of storage and use them.
Then the UN can blame the US for giving WMD’s to the Syrians. And OBama can blame Bush for it. And the media will put on its kneepads.
And it will happen right around October 25th.
Good. May the powers that be over take note.
There was a report from Turkish media a week or so back that Syria had mated some chemical warheads to its IRBMs. Presumably, this general would have been part of the operation. Maybe he didn’t like his orders?
I have a feeling this guy will end up dead soon. Especially if he has info on what was on all those trucks that came from Iraq prior to the invasion.
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