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Syrian President Bashar Assad Reportedly Living on a Warship off of Country’s Coast

Jan. 15, 2013 7:01am Sharona Schwartz

President Bashar Assad Reportedly Moved to Warship off of Syrian Coast

In this photo released by the Syrian official news agency SANA, Syrian President Bashar Assad gestures as speaks at the Opera House in central Damascus, Syria, Sunday, Jan. 6, 2013. (Photo: AP)

Has President Bashar Assad moved himself, his family and his closest aides out of Syria? That’s what a Saudi newspaper is reporting. The Jerusalem Post quotes the paper which says Assad’s entourage has moved to a warship off of the Syrian coast:

Citing “intelligence sources”, Al Watan’s website claims that Assad has “lost confidence” in his personal security detail, and is being ferried to the Syrian capital by helicopter solely for official functions.

The move, should it be confirmed, raises the question of whether Assad is planning an escape route for himself and his family should he lose his battle to remain in power.

An estimated 60,000 people have been killed since the hostilities began nearly two years ago. Al Watan reports that Assad’s vessel is being guarded by the Russian Navy. The Times of Israel reports:

The Russian protection effectively amounts to political asylum for the Syrian president, unnamed intelligence sources told the Saudi daily al-Watan. Assad now travels by helicopter to mainland Syria for official meetings in his presidential palace in Damascus, having lost faith in his security detail, the report said.

Assad has grown increasingly entrenched in the 22 months since the start of a popular uprising that has called for his ouster and claimed the lives of over 60,000 Syrians, according to UN figures. Russia has remained the regime’s staunchest ally, vetoing international intervention at the UN Security Council.

Al-Watan quotes intelligence sources who say Assad’s move will allow for a quick evacuation to Moscow should the embattled leader decide to do so. Rebels have been encroaching on Damascus, the Syrian capital, as senior officials have been gradually defecting, including senior diplomats, military and intelligence officials.

In his first public speech in six months on January 6th, Assad pledged to continue fighting “as long as there is one terrorist left” on Syrian soil, ignoring international calls to step down. “What we started will not stop,” he said at Damascus’ Opera House.

The Obama administration rejected Assad’s proposal to start a “peace process” and thus stay in power. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said that Assad’s latest plan was “detached from reality.”

This as Russia insists some of Assad’s ideas should be taken into account in forging a way to try to end the bloodshed.

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Comments (14)

sbenard
Posted on January 15, 2013 at 2:35pm
My decor suggestion:
A nice little torpedo would be a welcome addition to Assad’s warship. It would look lovely implanted into the side of the ship where he resides!

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CityOfEnoch
Posted on January 15, 2013 at 10:53am
Notice they don’t tell you who’s warship? I seem to remember Russia sending a few ships their way. Hmmmm?

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DockyWocky
Posted on January 15, 2013 at 10:11am
Gee. That could be dangerous. Basher’s ship of state could run aground, be mistaken for an American spy ship and attacked by the Israeli air force, or even accidentally torpedoed by a Russian sub. However, I would hate to be in the shoes of a Syrian government troop having to face all those religion of peace rebels, because they are not particularly known for their mercies.

Mohammed sure knew how to organize a peaceful religion – both sides can kill each other from now to doomsday and the fires of islamic paradise are burning extra hot from all the newbies.

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poorrichard09
Posted on January 15, 2013 at 8:15am
I’ve been wondering where he’s hiding out.

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ares338
Posted on January 15, 2013 at 8:06am
Let’s see…Replace a dictator with a misogynistic, America hating, freedom hating, violent dictatorial sham of a peaceful religion? Yeah….works for me.

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Robert Hawk
Posted on January 15, 2013 at 8:01am
Very few Americans understand what happens once Assad is no longer the leader of Syria. Many think the United States and its allies are simply ridding the Middle East of its historical tyrants. What they fail to understand is that the Middle East is under soviet subversion via active measures. Once Assad falls, Saudi Arabia will find itself surrounded by Shia controlled countries (Muslim Brotherhood), this is when Mr Obama will realize his mistake and understand that the Russians have played him like a fiddle to get what they want at Americans expense.
Saudi will have no other choice but to join its Muslim neighbors under an alliance with the Shia controlled Muslim Brotherhood. The West will be blamed for the entire event forcing America and its military to be ousted from the region. The significance of this cannot be ignored as one half of the value of our US currency is bound in OPEC oil transactions. This is where Mr Obama will fail and fail huge. The loss of those oil transactions will be devastating to our economy. How can I make this determination with such certainty? Simple… Its biblical prophecy.

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- 13th Imam
  Posted on January 15, 2013 at 11:12am
  Just where does that small problem of the Chinese fit in??
  
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- blackyce
  Posted on January 15, 2013 at 12:42pm
  The Muslim Brotherhood is a Sunni organization. Assad and the ruling class of Syria are Alawites, which is derivative of Shia Islam. The overwhelming majority of Syrians (74-75%) are Sunnis. If Assad falls, it’s likely that Syria becomes more aligned with their Arab neighbors rather than remaining an Iranian satellite state. That could be good or bad for the Saudis (a new Syrian government could choose to align with the Muslim Brotherhood forces in Egypt/Iraq or the autocracies in the GCC/Jordan), but would likely be no worse than the current situation where the Syrians are allowing the Iranians to have an outsized voice in Arab politics.
  
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Opin-o-mine
Posted on January 15, 2013 at 7:56am
He has seen the other dictators dragged out of spider holes, tried and then hung. Shot on sight and buried in the desset. And now the latest one put on trial right. My guess is a deal will be done and he will buy his way out on that Russian ship and live out his days where Mr. Putin says he can.

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jackact
Posted on January 15, 2013 at 7:49am
Then it should not present an issue for torpedoing his ship.
Cut out the collateral damage and hasten the little despots demise.
Unless, of course, Hillary Clinton still believes Assad to be “an excellent progressive leader of his country”.
No nation building please, but with 60 thousand murdered Syrians during the past year; what’s one more?

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Eastinfection
Posted on January 15, 2013 at 7:48am
Looks like some totalitarian nut-job doesn’t want to be found in a spider-hole, sodomized, shot, tried, or hung by his “constituents” .

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ArmedAndReallyPissed
Posted on January 15, 2013 at 7:27am
“The Obama administration rejected Assad’s proposal to start a “peace process” and thus stay in power. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said that Assad’s latest plan was “detached from reality.”…………………….detached from reality………………………………………………………….You mean like this ? :
President Barack Obama during a surprise press conference Monday explained that raising the debt ceiling “does not authorize Congress to spend more” but merely allows “America to pay its bills.”

“Obama used to oppose increases to the nation’s debt limit. In fact, in 2006, then-Sen. Obama said this: “America has a debt problem and a failure of leadership. Americans deserve better. I therefore intend to oppose the effort to increase America’s debt limit.”…………….America has a debt problem AND A FAILURE OF LEADERSHIP. AMERICANS DESERVE BETTER………….spoken right from the Horses own Ass.
Talk about detached from reality !!!!!!!!

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RepubliCorp
Posted on January 15, 2013 at 7:23am
Better than hiding in a drain pipe

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Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
Posted on January 15, 2013 at 7:21am
If true he is headed for Russia or Cuba.

No matter what, the arising of one more bloody terrorist led nation-state will be the legacy of Obama who has armed them and covered up Benghazi. How much more blood will be found on the hands of Obama?

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