Death Of Syrian General Escalates Tensions

Syrian Soldiers

From The Australian:

THE slaying of a mysterious Syrian general, who was shot dead as he sat on the foredeck of a yacht, has sharply raised tensions in Damascus and led to speculation that cracks are appearing in President Bashar al-Assad's iron-fisted rule.

Brigadier General Mohammed Suleiman was little known in Western or Israeli intelligence circles until he was killed by a sniper in a Syrian port on Saturday.

He was, however, a critical go-to man for Mr Assad and a loyalist who personally kept most of the regime's secrets and knew the origins of the rest.

The general is understood to have been among the closest of Mr Assad's confidants and a key player in regime strategy since Syria was forced to leave Lebanon in March 2005.

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More News On Syria And The Assassination Of A General

Syria confirms assassination of top military officer last week -- Jerusalem Post
Syrian general's killing severs Hezbollah links -- Times Online
Syrian General Who Oversaw Arms Shipments Assassinated -- Washington Post
Rumours Surround Syria 'Hit' -- Sky News
Syrian general's slaying raises questions -- UPI
Slain Syrian general buried, questions linger -- Reuters
Speculation and mystery surround killing of Syrian general -- Asia News
Report: Syria arrests suspects in murder of Hezbollah liaison -- Haaretz
Arrests in Syria follow murder of general -- Financial Times

My Comment: I am sure that a number of Syrians are now looking behind their backs. Checking rooftops for snipers. Getting the aide to start the car. Feeding the dog to see if the food is not poisoned.

Syrian President's Top Aide Assassinated

Pro Syrian Rally In Damascus

From Israel National News:

(IsraelNN.com) Syrian President Bashar Assad's top aide and adviser, General Mohammed Suleiman, was assassinated on Friday, according to Arab news sources.

Suleiman, who was also Syria's liaison officer to the Hizbullah terrorist organization in Lebanon, was shot and killed by an unidentified sniper in the Syrian port city of Tartous.

Syrian authorities tried unsuccessfully to prevent publication of the news. The country's Albawaba newspaper, which reported the incident, speculated that Israel might have been behind the killing.

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More News On Turmoil In Syria

Slain Syrian general buried, questions linger -- Reuters
Top Syrian general assassinated: reports -- AFP
Syrian general found shot dead in mysterious killing - reports -- Lebanon Daily Star
Report: Sniper kills Syrian Pres. Assad's Hezbollah liaison -- Haaretz
Syria aide ‘shot dead in hotel by sniper’ -- The National

My Comment: There appears to be a hit team in Syria liquidating Hezbollah commanders or Syrian officers that are associated with them. There are a lot of suspects.