Christmas? You mean Armageddon, don’t you?
Christmas? You mean Armageddon, don’t you?[/quote]
Syriamageddon?
news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u … 1009200058
[quote]US weighed military strikes in Syria
Sun Oct 9, 4:27 PM ET
The United States recently debated launching military strikes inside Syria against camps used by insurgents operating in neighboring Iraq, a US magazine reported.
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice successfully opposed the idea at a meeting of senior American officials held on October 1, Newsweek reported, citing unnamed US government sources.
Rice reportedly argued that diplomatic isolation was a more effective approach, with a UN report pending that may blame Syria for the assassination of former Lebanese premier Rafiq Hariri.
The United States has accused Damascus of allowing insurgents to move arms and fighters across the Syrian border into Iraq and of destabilizing the region.
…
[/quote]
Christmas? You mean Armageddon, don’t you?[/quote]
Spook, your cryptic pessimism leaves me flat. Care to expand your thoughts?
Now the Iranians are targeting the British in southern Iraq. How much longer before a strong message is sent to either of these gangsta regimes that enough is enough. Fine. Let’s do the easy one first and nail Syria. I was reading I believe the Economist and I believe it was that magazine that is forecasting Boy Assad’s days are numbered. Let’s hope so.
[quote]DAMASCUS, Syria
news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4343582.stm
[quote]A prominent Syrian rights activist says the death of Syria’s interior minister - apparently by suicide - could herald a more positive future for Syria.
Aktham Naisse told the BBC Ghazi Kanaan’s death on Wednesday meant the loss of one link in a small but strong chain of individuals ruling Syria.
Mr Naisse - who won a prestigious human rights award this week - said it could spell the end of Syria’s old guard.
An inquiry found Mr Kanaan had killed himself with his own gun in his office.
After examination of the body and questioning witnesses, Syria’s chief prosecutor has closed the case.
Mr Kanaan was buried on Thursday after a huge funeral convoy from Damascus to his home town of Bhamra.
‘Address issues’
The former intelligence chief was for years the most powerful figure in Lebanon during Syrian domination.
His death came a week before the UN is to publish a report into the killing of Lebanon’s former Prime Minister, Rafik Hariri, which many Lebanese blamed on Syria although Damascus denies it.
Mr Naisse, one of the founding members of the Committees for the Defence of Democratic Liberties and Human Rights in Syria, this week won the 2005 Martin Ennals award.
In his acceptance speech in Switzerland, he said there were important issues for human rights in Syria “and it is now time to address these issues in a democratic way”.
These included releasing political prisoners, the return of exiles, investigating the fate of the missing and the issue of the Kurds, he said. [/quote]
Looks like someone is starting to bend a bit backwards in an effort to play nice.
Who’s up for bloodless coup number 2?
Which coup was bloodless #1?
Labanon. I know, not exactly a coup, but an enema.
Certainly a healthy cleansing, and hardly a bloodbath, but bloodless?
By Beruit’s standards, relatively bloodless, but still worrisome.
By the standards of just about everywhere else, still bloody murder.
Still, I suppose for a coup…
[quote]CAIRO, Egypt
Syriaphobia is treatable, Fred. See your shrink for details. You’ve got to want to get better though.
news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051020/ap_ … riri_probe
[quote]UNITED NATIONS - A U.N. investigation concluded that high-ranking Syrian and Lebanese security officials were involved in the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, according to a report released Thursday.
The strongly worded report by chief investigator Detlev Mehlis said the two nations’ intelligence services kept tabs on Hariri before his assassination by wiretapping his phone, and there was evidence a telecommunications antenna was jammed near the scene of the car bomb that killed him and 20 others on Feb. 14.
The decision to assassinate Hariri "could not have been taken without the approval of top-ranked Syrian security official and could not have been further organized without the collusion of their counterparts in the Lebanese security services," the report said.[/quote]
I am shocked! 
This is unconfirmed as of now:
[quote]DEBKAfile Exclusive: US Marines are locked in battle with Syrian troops after crossing the border from Iraq into Syria at a point west of al Qaim
November 25, 2005, 12:27 AM (GMT+02:00)
Both sides have suffered casualties. [b]US soldiers crossed over after Damascus was given an ultimatum Thursday, Nov. 24, to hand over a group of senior commanders belonging to Abu Musab al Zarqawi
Please, please, please. I oh so want this to be true. Let us get rid of Syria. The sooner the better.
Well, people are calling for a troop reduction in Iraq. 
While I have great reserve about a lot of things coming off DEBKA…this is too easily verifiable for me to have doubts about.
Look out Damascus…the new Barbarians are at the Gates.
Interesting news if true:
DEBKAfile reveals: Retired General Ali Duba, known as father of Syrian intelligence and loyal aide of Presidents Assad father and son has fled to London from Damascus
January 3, 2006, 10:04 PM (GMT+02:00)
This defection follows the blunt charges leveled against Bashar Assad by former Syrian vice president Khalam Haddam last Friday, and the UN inquiry commission