Where's Assad? Mystery deepens about Syrian leader

BEIRUT –  Syrian President Bashar Assad urged his military Wednesday to boost its fight against rebels, but his written call to arms only deepened a mystery over his whereabouts two weeks after a bomb penetrated his inner circle.
Assad has not spoken publicly since the July 18 bombing killed four of his top security officials - including his brother-in-law - during a rebel assault on the capital, Damascus. The president's low profile has raised questions about whether he fears for his personal safety as the civil war escalates dramatically.
The United States called the Syrian president a coward for marshaling his forces from the pages of the army's official magazine.
"We think it's cowardly, quite frankly, to have a man hiding out of sight, exhorting his armed forces to continue to slaughter the civilians of his own country," said U.S. State Department spokesman Patrick Ventrell.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/08/02/where-assad-mystery-deepens-about-syrian-leader/#ixzz22PANanve

The Race for Assad's Chemical Arsenal

A chemical arsenal in Russia. (photo by REUTERS/Handout )

While opposition forces hammer the Syrian army in the streets of Damascus, Israel is gearing up for President Bashar al-Assad’s final collapse and is expressing its concern regarding the fate of the unconventional weapons in Assad’s hands. The United States is also keeping close tabs on the chemical-biological arsenal, concerned about it being used to suppress the rebellion within Syria. On Thursday it was reported that sources in the White House conversed with their counterparts in Jerusalem on the possibility of destroying the weapons in a preemptive strike.

About this Article

Summary: Jerusalem and Washington are paying close attention to Assad's large chemical stockpile as they monitor the crisis, write Ahikam Moshe David and Tzach Yoked. Israel fears that anarchy in post-Assad Syria will enable Hezbollah and other terror groups to take advantage of the situation to launch attacks. Publisher: Maariv (Israel) Original Title: The race for Syria's chemical arsenal Author: Akhikam Moshe David and Tzah Yoked Published on: Friday, Jul 20, 2012 Translated On: Friday, Jul 20, 2012 Translator: Sandy Bloom Categories : Syria   Israel   Security

Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak toured the Israeli-Syrian border on Thursday and reviewed the possible scenarios that the IDF is preparing for. Barak visited one of the most anterior of the  posts in the area, from where he was able to see mortar shells falling on a Syrian village and hear the loud machine-gun fire between the rebel and army forces. “Syria’s disintegration is real, and the recent events in Damascus will accelerate Assad’s downfall,” said the defense minister. “No one can predict what will happen afterwards. There are all kinds of agents there like opponents [of the regime], [army] deserters and World Jihad activists. The longer this process takes — the greater the disorder that will reign after Assad’s fall.” Regarding Syria’s unconventional weapons, Barak says, “We are concerned that the disarray will lead to the collapse of sensitive systems. There are quite a lot of chemical agents in Syria, scattered throughout the entire country; there are also numerous firearms held by civilians. We are keeping tabs on the possibility that during Assad’s collapse, Hezbollah will try to transfer heavy ground-to-ground missiles or chemical weapons to Lebanon.”

Read More................. 

Russia unlikely to freeze Assad’s assets, experts say

 

In an interview with Al Arabiya, Iain Willis, Director of Research at the business intelligence consultancy Alaco, said the total value of assets available to the Assad regime is estimated at $1 billion.

As the conflict in Syria enters a critical phase and Western countries ramp up sanctions against the Assad regime, experts tell Al Arabiya it is unlikely that Russia will freeze assets connected to President Assad but that as the endgame approaches, regime allies could be more willing to cooperate with the international community.

In an interview with Al Arabiya in London, Iain Willis, Director of Research at business intelligence consultancy Alaco, said that Russia would be ‘the number one’ place to look for Syrian regime assets.

“Places such as Russia which have not imposed asset freezing measures would be a first place to look because that money is liquid and movable,” Willis said. “Other places like Switzerland, Dubai, and Lebanon are imposing more restrictions on Syrian linked asses so those become less appealing for the Assad family.”

Willis said Assad and his inner circle would be seeking to maintain a liquid asset base in places they can access easily, such as Russia. 

Read More................