Israeli General: Assad Could Survive 2012

(Israel Hayom) Yoav Limor - Head of the IDF Northern Command, Maj.-Gen. Yair Golan, said in an interview Friday that advanced weaponry has made its way into Hizbullah's hands in Lebanon. He also predicts that Bashar Assad will not be deposed in the near future. "Last October, we said it would take 18 months, and I think that we underestimated the situation. In my view, it will take even longer." "The traditional leadership surrounding him remains intact. You have to remember that this is an aging group of leaders whose best years are well behind it. While it is very experienced, it is doubtful whether it has the energy necessary to withstand a challenge of this scale." Iran and Hizbullah "are up to their necks with what is happening there," he added. "There are military trainers, instructors, and, to the best of my knowledge, combatants as well." Golan explains why Assad doesn't involve Israel in a war and deflect attention away from the predicament in which he finds himself: "Assad understands very well that drawing in Israel would weaken his regime, since it would result in damage to the army which is his primary crutch."


2012-04-09 00:00:00

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