I asked a well-informed Syrian to update me on developments. Here is part of what he wrote to me (I am translating from Arabic):
"Situation in Syria needs a lot of talk...What is important is that life has stopped completely in more than half of the republic and death has visited everywhere. Political life is now completely in the hands of the Russians and the security situation has stagnated and it is pretty bad. Free Syrian Army is a collection of groups drawn from highway robbers, quarter thugs, and a cocktail of mercenaries. The dangerous elements in it are the fighters of Al-Qa`idah, who are well-armed and well-trained. Saudi Arabia has become a major player in the internal Syrian file and the real and public arm of Israel through arming and financing of groups by proxy, and through the control of mosques and some clerics. Army is losing terribly daily (despite its unity) due to lack of preparedness and long idleness. Defection are still small and individual in relation to what is being heard in the media. Syrian Security apparatus (Amn) is who has drenched the country in blood. There were many cases in hot cities and districts where people demanded the intervention of the army and the expulsion of Amn, but things happened in reverse [meaning, Army was expelled and Amn took over], so that developed toward rejection of Army and Amn alike. Overthrow of the regime is now an impossible operation in the foreseeable future, and the military defeat of the Arab right requires a political solution and compromises to cut off lines of military supply."
"Situation in Syria needs a lot of talk...What is important is that life has stopped completely in more than half of the republic and death has visited everywhere. Political life is now completely in the hands of the Russians and the security situation has stagnated and it is pretty bad. Free Syrian Army is a collection of groups drawn from highway robbers, quarter thugs, and a cocktail of mercenaries. The dangerous elements in it are the fighters of Al-Qa`idah, who are well-armed and well-trained. Saudi Arabia has become a major player in the internal Syrian file and the real and public arm of Israel through arming and financing of groups by proxy, and through the control of mosques and some clerics. Army is losing terribly daily (despite its unity) due to lack of preparedness and long idleness. Defection are still small and individual in relation to what is being heard in the media. Syrian Security apparatus (Amn) is who has drenched the country in blood. There were many cases in hot cities and districts where people demanded the intervention of the army and the expulsion of Amn, but things happened in reverse [meaning, Army was expelled and Amn took over], so that developed toward rejection of Army and Amn alike. Overthrow of the regime is now an impossible operation in the foreseeable future, and the military defeat of the Arab right requires a political solution and compromises to cut off lines of military supply."
