Yesterday, there was a bomb attack directed at a bus carrying Israeli tourists in Bulgaria, which resulted in seven deaths and dozens wounded. This atrocity was carried out by Hezbollah on the anniversary of the 1994 bombing of a Jewish community center in Argentina in which 87 people died and over 100 people were injured. Both yesterday's attack in Bulgaria and the attack undertaken in Argentina 18 years ago were perpetrated by Hezbollah pursuant to instructions from Tehran.
Yesteray, there was also a bomb attack by Syrian rebels aimed against a national security building in Damascus, which killed Syrian Defense Minister Dawood Rajiha, Deputy Defense Minister Assef Shawkat, who is Assad's brother-in-law, and Hasan Turkmani, a security adviser to Assad and assistant vice president. Assad no longer has complete control over Damascus, and he is now issuing orders from the coastal city of Latakia.
You will recall that less than one month ago, I observed that US intelligence, which claimed that the Assad regime is not apt to lose power any time in the foreseeable future (http://news.yahoo.com/ap-sources-syrian-army-stable-despite-defections-213931967.html), was utterly mistaken (see: http://jgcaesarea.blogspot.co.il/2012/06/syria-us-intelligence-mistaken.html). Well, I think it is fairly obvious by now who was right and who was wrong.
Unbeknownst to the likes of Barbara Walters, Senator John Kerry and Bill Clinton, Assad is psychotic and at times entirely detached from reality. However, he and his wife are nevertheless aware of recent events on the ground and are already exploring an early departure from Syria. Their problem: Weighing its future options opposite Syria's incoming Sunni Muslim Brotherhood regime, Iran is no longer certain that they wish to welcome the Assad family.
Israel is now also facing its own set of problems. First, Israel will need to decide how to retaliate against Hezbollah. Second, Israel is concerned that Syrian missiles and chemical weapons could be transferred to Hezbollah in Lebanon should Assad vanish in the coming days and chaos rein throughout Syria.
As reported by The Jerusalem Post (http://www.jpost.com/Defense/Article.aspx?id=278165), weekend furloughs have been cancelled for officers and soldiers in some units of the Israeli army owing to concern over events in Syria.
It's not going to be pretty.
P.S. to my friends in Arlington, next time ask me first.
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Yes.
ReplyDeleteI was listening a BBC reporter on NPR talking about the tragedy in Bulgaria and she was twisting and twisting and talking and talking the way it looked like she was blaming Israel for the attack in Bulgaria.
NPR's AP report doesn't mention the word terrorist or terrorism - instead they call it a "brazen daytime bombing". Can't be offending anyone just before the start of the 2012 Olympics and during an elections year.
DeleteWell ... I am deeply offended. Not that I expect anything decent from BBC.
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