MidnightWatcher – Prophecy in Motion

It is becoming increasingly clear that Bashar al-Assad has become a wounded, cornered animal. But be wary. This is when they’re predictably unpredictable …  

By Dashiell Bennett, The Atlantic Wire – “Vladimir Putin (who is alive and well!) met with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Erdogan yesterday and reportedly signaled that Russia may be willing to push for a new plan to peacefully remove Bashar al-Assad from power in Syria. If the rumors turn out to true it would be a major shift in the diplomatic stance of Russia, which has long argued that other nations should not be interfering in Syrian politics and has helped blocked several U.N. Security Council resolutions that would have taken actions against Assad’s regime. (Though we have been down this road before.)

The hard part, of course, is getting either side to agree to it. The Russian plan would allegedly involve Assad handing power to his vice-president Farouq al-Sharaa, a result that most of the Syrian opposition finds unacceptable. They sense that Assad’s entire regime will soon be toppled—and the fact that such a deal would even be discussed suggests that Russia senses it too. If they’ve come this far, rebel commanders likely feel there’s no reason to share power with a government that will soon collapse anyway, and be even more heavily indebted to the Russians.

As for Assad, he seems resigned to the fact that one way or another he will die in Syria. He’s said as much publicly and a Russian source tells The New York Times that diplomats from Moscow who met with Assad recently described him as ‘a man who has lost all hope of victory or escape.’ If he tried to flee into exile, he might even be killed by his own people. That makes him more dangerous than ever, which explains the sudden urgency by the United States to ensure he doesn’t decide to unleash his chemical weapons.” Read more.

Could The Assad Regime Be Crumbling In Syria? – “Syria’s regime is showing signs that it is weakening, according to reports from newspapers in the United Kingdom and Israel. Syrian President Bashar Assad has sought asylum for himself, his family, and associates in Latin America if his regime falls and he is forced to flee Damascus, reported Haaretz, an Israeli daily paper. The report indicates that nation’s deputy foreign minister met with leaders in Cuba, Ecuador, and Venezuela, and brought personal letters from Assad to local leaders.” Read more.

Report: Assad’s Chemical Weapons Units Head Out Of Damascus Toward Aleppo – “As NATO in Brussels gave the go-ahead Tuesday night, Dec. 4, for the deployment of Patriot surface-to-air missiles to protect Turkey against Syrian missiles, DEBKAfile’s military and intelligence sources reported that convoys of the Syrian army’s chemical weapons units headed out of Damascus under cover of dark and turned north up the road to Aleppo. Their destination is not yet known. The convoys were ferrying self-propelled cannons for firing shells loaded with poisonous sarin gas.” Read more.