E-mail updates
Follow on Twitter
Subscribe to RSSSyria's defense minister and President Bashar Assad’s brother-in-law were killed in a Damascus bomb attack Wednesday, state TV reported. It appears to be the most serious blow to Assad’s regime in the country's 16-month-old rebellion. However no footage of the attack has emerged yet.
How significant is the attack? What does it mean for the future Assad regime? Or the Syrian military?
NBC News’ Ayman Mohyeldin answered reader questions about the significance of the attack earlier today. Click on the link below to replay the informative chat.
Bomb kills Syrian ministers at heart of Assad rule
The defense minister, his deputy and a vice president were all killed in the blast but it is unclear if Syrian president Bashar al-Assad was nearby. NBC's Richard Engel reports.
Leave a Comment:
Superb and exceptionally informative. Deeply appreciate Ayman taking time to share with us.
Will someone please ask him why any Americans should give a cr*p about some armpit Middle East country? Maybe if we're lucky they will kill each other off.
Is the rumor true that Assad is in fact wounded and has been transferred to (sic) Lattah
Syria?
How will the Christians minority do if Assad falls? In Egypt they are fleeing, will this be the case in Syria? We can assume that the CIA is integrally involved in all of this - how will this affect US-Syrian relations, especially with the Golan ? And what about the proliferation of chemical weapons? will be be sent to HezboALLAH and to regional jihadist to take the fight to the Americans in regional bases? Or US? Will Assad fall?
christians will be just fine, the difference is that christians will now have freedom of speech and the right to elect their new leader instead of their leader electing himself for decades while oppressing "the people"
Sorry but you're living a pipe-dream if you think anything in Syria will benefit Christians
Did events in Iraq help Christians?
Will the gradual take over of Sunni extremists Salaffi, MB in Egypt help Christians, women and Jews?
Already they are talking of Sharia Laws in Egypt.
In Bahrain, a highly corrupt, autocratic Sunni ruler is ruling over majority Shiites. He put down mercilessly the Shiites peaceful protests.
Then Sunni Saudi Arabia and other Arab League members sent their forces. Not many talked about human rights, peaceful protestors being killed and jailed and other atrocities on Shiites.
In Syria, barbaric, beastly, highly corrupt and bigoted Sunni Saudis can't tolerate a Shiite Assad. So they are backing Syrian rebels through their al-Qaida, MB and others.
They sent their own human rights commission to Syria. The commission was headed by a Sudanese Gen, who was accused of genocides of 300000 Christians in Darfur!
Then they roped in the fundamentalist Ergodan led Turkey. Now they are trying to outsource their dirty work in Syria to the US and NATO forces just like in Iraq!
Followers of Islamic cult, especially Sunni Saudi inspired Islamic radicals and militants (al-Qaida, Salaffi, Wahhabi, MB, Taliban and other label ones), are fast marching backwards to their seventh century desert tribal days of rapings, lootings, killings and genocides of non-Muslims (S. Sudan, Nigeria and other places) and Muslims in Syria, Pakistan, Bahrain and other places.
But the "world" is guided by the Saudis, oil companies, extremist Jews and their lobbyists!
Some see in one direction and are too short sighted.
So we have new record playing of old songs prior to Iraqi wars.
If the chemical weapons are Iraq's WMDs, as I vehemently believe,what will be the
intent of the weapons?
At least we don't have to rely on GWB to find the WMD.
Assad, the people of syria is coming after you and hell will be waiting for you too!
John M You know about Syria as much as you know about Mars and Jupiter , Syria's Christians are getting killed now and their churches being destroyed , and you and honest Ayman have no FING idea what's happening in Syria , most of Ayman reporting was coming from Cairo Egypt and always quoting the rebels and Syrian human rights from London , Oh boy that is a really honest reporting , the Saudis and Qataris paying Ayman and all of our reporters in that region to lie and distort the truth , Just like AlJazeera and Al Arabia , ask Ayman about them two and who they are always quoting and where they are fabricating their stories , Its funny when a terrorist act happened in countries where we do not like , its a freedom fighters and when it happen in our country and Israel and Europe , Its terrorist , why the double standards I wonder . aren't these thugs the same thugs that attacked us on 9/11 and supported by the same terrorist countries , Saudia and Qatar , or we forgot the nationality of the hijackers already .
@myturn - Why would we call someone a terrorist when they peacefully demonstrated for change and in response their Govt killed their families, women and children, etc. They don't want to fight, but if they don't fight back they'll all be dead soon.
Did it apply in Bahrain? Or is Bahrain in some other planet?
Who cares about Syria?
@Binkie - You can ignore other parts of the world if you wish, as if Syria has nothing to do with the U.S.A., but the world is a more complicated place than that. In your own neighborhood think of the impact a bad neighbor can have on an entire neighborhood... when it's all said and done, all countries have an impact on each other. We should care what's happening.
good post. And then there goes the neighborhood.
eph521: Syria is not in our neighborhood. In our neighborhoods, we have Saudi funded Salaffi and Wahhabi mosques.
May be some consider: Saudi Arabia as their neighborhood!
eph521, of interest, pehaps, and I am quoting from H.L. Willimington wih his
solution, and it makes sense to me: "Why would God put mixed-up groups
like this in tens of thousands of neighborhoods all over the world?"
His solution is the New Jerusalem. "But we would really have a viable solution
to the puzzling problem of all kinds of people living all mixed up together
in earth's neigborhoods. May this be the solution" Think it over!"
eph521 you right we should care about what's happening , but we should not promote it like we are doing in Syria , that's exactly what Mrs. Clinton , McCain , Lieberman doing in that part of the world . simply satisfying the same people that attacked here at home . the problem is we are to naive to see , they keep lying to us through our paid off media and fabricate stories , if ask the American people 50% of them do not like pres. Obama , do you think its OK for the Russians to come here and arm these people and push them to do terrorist acts and bring Alqaiada and all of these Muslims thugs from every little rat hole in the world , Do you think that's freedom , I KNOW YOU MIGHT THINK SO , BECAUSE THAT'S REALLY THE FREEDOM OUR POLITICIANS ALWAYS SEND OVERSEAS .
Do you think the recent bombing in Bulgaria was a response to this killing of Syria's defense minister?
I do not think so plausable , Syrians never did anything outside Syria , they are not terrorist unlike what these Media trying to show them to be , these terrorists acts in Syria are the work of the Alqaida and Wahhabi Muslims thugs that the Saudis and Qataris brought into Syria and trained by the US and NATO , ( Believe it or not ) the truth will come out sooner or later . and do not listen to this honest reporter Ayman , most of his reporting came from Cairo , thousand mile away fro Syria , and he always quoted the rebels , and then he says we cannot confirm the reports , great , why do not try to be fair then . ask him how much money he is getting from Saudis and QATARIS .
Israel and the press are blaming the Iranians for this attack and I am just wondering why they would blame an attack that happened in Bulgaria on the Iranians? It seems more reasonable to blame it on a Bulgarian terrorist group or the Al Queda doesn't it?
Well plausable they might blame it on Assad too , now the Israelis are dying to get us in a fight with Iranians , and my bets are that we will , simply because of our politicians want to please the Jewish lobby and the big money in this country , and now Saudis and Qataris will dish that money out , we already building all kinds id Missiles warning systems in Qatar and Saudi , if they are dumb enough to their money to our companies , I am sure they will take it and that's what the Hillary, McCain , Lieberman and all these senators that are benefiting from both sides , the arms companies and the gulf states , now Israel cheered when the Iranian nuclear scientist was murdered in Iran , and off course our Intel. said it was the Mossad , but I guess the Israelis and the US calls it heroic act , so its a thin line here , just like freedom fighters and terrorists . depends who's telling the story .
Are you sure it is the Israeli's who are trying to get us into a fight or our own people in DC. Netanyahu said months ago he thought the Iranian's were years away from a nuclear weapon. Syria's people have always been anti-western and supported Arafat and every Islamic cause that was anti-west. I don't care about Syria and haven't talk to anyone that does. Will they quit selling us oil, ore deposits, wheat, computers if they put down Assad? No, they are a barely self sufficient desert country. The US Press should investigate US problems more and stop reporting on these countries and their problems. Turkey should have annexed Syria and northern Iraq. The leaders of Turkey in the 1960's would have done just that. 24 loaded flat bed trucks were destroyed enroute to Afghanistan today. Probably multi-million dollar loads. Nothing mentioned here. US Govt is self insured so up on the deficit credit card.
My Turn I completely agree with what your saying. I find it amazing when we call the terrorist activities of Israel "Intelligence operatives". Then we call anything Iran does as "Terrorist activities". LOL seriously! Do they not think we can see through the propaganda? I feel like our government thinks we all do not have a brain in our heads. If we go war with Iran, which will be Obama's Vietnam, it will be big money for the republicans that are big oil and war profiteers. Susan Rice is a plant that was appointed by the Bush Admin. as Ambassador to the UN. She was appointed to undermine anything the Democrats do. The Dems are too stupid to get it. This whole thing is about the rich getting richer at the expense of many human lives. I'm sick and ashamed of my country right now.
PLAUSABLE, Where do you get this nonsense about Susan Rice???
Obama is responsible for nominating her to the U.N., not Bush. I don't have a clue what you're talking about and I doubt you do either. She is and has always been a Democrat. She's not undermining anything. And she is highly regarded and was unanimously supported by the Senate, a rare thing in today's political climate.
Not to jump in guys, but what about April Glaspie, then ambassador, when Saddam planned an invasion
in Kuwait?
Find it difficult to root for one side or the other when both are using AKs. Always love to see dictators go down but who replaces them are not always better
Now..a defense minister,a deputy,and a vice president were killed by a SUICIDE bomber...so just sit back and recognize which side Barry is one on.....let it sink in....
Score a BIG ONE for NRBs! Keep it up, USIAs! We (and they) will WIN this one BIG yet! - RC
(Decapitation, decap- ..., decap- ............. ALL the WAY !!!
(Gee, what else can I possibly say?)) - RC
(If anyone else has anything to say, I say "GEE, shhussh!". After all, I have already said enough, RIGHT?) - RC
If atrocities and barbarism on girls, children and women are the criteria, then the most despotic, autocratic and bigoted Sunni Saudi ruler with his 5000 princes and princesses, Kuwaiti, UAE and other Arab League Sunni rulers and their rich sheiks are the biggest culprits in the history.
Through the Muslim immoral trafficking gangs, these barbarians have assembled all varieties of poor and helpless girls and women from all over the world in their harems and brothels.
In killing of opponents again, these people have established world records.
If the US, Britain and others support such Sunni barbarians and beasts who treat girls and women as cheap sex slaves, then one can only conclude that Saudis, oil companies and their lobbyists determine what to see, how to lecture and where and when to act.
Rest like “human rights”, “killing of children and women”, “militants”, “terrorists”, “WMDs”, “chemical weapons” and so on are a pure hoax.
Similar hoaxes were played each time before Iraqi wars on directions of Saudi, oil companies and their lobbyists.
Now none of them are looking into Iraq, where at least a million have been killed and devastated.
Twice are too much to tolerate.
Russia's President Putin and Assad cannot continue to have a symboiac relationship
if Assad is shipped off to Africa. (On the Mediterranean Sea)