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July 19th, 2012 
FAKE NEWS for the Zionist agenda
The cause of the explosion was also unclear. Initial reports suggested it may
have been the work of a suicide bomber, with government officials alleging
that the perpetrator was a bodyguard.
But senior rebel officials told The Daily Telegraph that bombs hidden in a
flower arrangement and a chocolate box were remotely detonated by defectors
working to bring down the regime from within.
Both the Free Syrian Army and a jihadi group calling itself Liwa al-Islam
claimed responsibility, although they may have been acting in collaboration.
“There were two bombs,” Louay al-Mokdad, the FSA’s logistical coordinator
said. “One was hidden in a packet of chocolates and one in a big flower pot
that was in the middle of the table of the conference room.” He claimed that
the operation was conducted by a group of FSA members in collaboration with
drivers and bodyguards working for Mr Assad’s inner circle, a version
repeated by other activists.
The two devices, one made of 25lb of TNT, and the other a smaller “C4” plastic
explosive, were said to have been planted in the room days before the
meeting by an opposition mole working for Gen Ikhtiyar. Mr Mokdad claimed
that the meeting may have been led by Mr Assad or by his brother Maher, who
has been the regime’s battlefield commander in the uprising. “I have just
spoken with the driver who brought the explosive package,” he said. “He is
trying to understand who led the meeting; whether it was Bashar or Maher.”
Whatever the truth behind the attack, its timing in the midst of an opposition
offensive raises the credibility of the opposition as a guerrilla movement —
a fact that could prove decisive in dictating the remainder of the conflict.
In the aftermath of the blast, the regime reacted with predictable fury,
vowing to “wipe out the criminal gangs in their rotten dens”. Tanks and
helicopter gunships were deployed in full force and rebel strongholds in the
capital’s Sunni suburbs were subjected to the most ferocious bombardment of
the uprising, according to both residents and rebels.
But the regime’s threats had a hollowness to them. With the president no
longer able to protect those closest to him, a surge in the number of
defections seems highly likely. The FSA reported the desertion of 500
government soldiers near the presidential palace in Damascus, while other
opposition sources said that a senior security official had switched sides,
taking 120 tanks with him. There were even rumours that Mr Assad had packed
his wife Asma off to Moscow.
Such claims may turn out to be far-fetched, but there can be little doubting
how swiftly morale among those who have remained loyal will be ebbing.
In parts of the country under effective opposition control, Syrians celebrated
as though they had ousted Mr Assad, hooting horns and firing into the air.
The international community struggled to keep pace with the unfolding events.
William Hague, the Foreign Secretary, condemned the killings as an act of
assassination, but said the bombing showed more than ever the need for world
powers to unite to end the crisis.
Syrian rebels seemed convinced that a turning point had been reached in the
civil war, one that proved they could win without further international
assistance.
The FSA, which had predicted an imminent “surprise” on the eve of the attack,
claimed that its assault on the capital, named “Damascus Volcano”, would
take them to the verge of victory.
“This is the volcano we talked about; we have just started,” said Qassem
Saadedine, the group’s spokesman. “We have smashed the inner circle of
Bashar,” another rebel official boasted.
The head of the main civilian opposition group, the Syrian National Council,
demonstrated similar confidence.
“This is the final phase. They will fall very soon,” Abdelbasset Seida said.
“Today is a turning point in Syria’s history. It will put more pressure on
the regime and bring an end very soon.”
Even so, the battle for Damascus is in its early stages. The rebels appeared
to withstand the government’s assault, and succeeded in overrunning a
security base. But Mr Assad still retains a powerful army and a stockpile of
chemical weapons. The longer he can hold together his regime, the longer he
will be able to survive and perhaps even regroup in the wake of yesterday’s
attack.
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