Syrian Coup Rumors

The World Tribune is reporting this morning that a military coup has taken place in Syria and that Assad has fled Damascus.

Syria's military increased deployment around Damascus due to tension within the regime. The opposition Lebanese Foundation for Peace said the Syrian military has undergone a split, with a rebel faction having taken control over parts of the capital, Middle East Newsline reported.

The rebel faction was said to be led by Syrian Interior Minister Ghazi Kanaan and Firas Tlas, the son of former Defense Minister Mustapha Tlas. The sources said this group, which included Syrian intelligence chief in Lebanon, Maj. Gen. Rustom Ghazaleh and Maj. Gen. Ali Madi, has rebelled against Assad's decision to withdraw from Lebanon.

"Around 3 a.m. [Wednesday], Damascus time, the Syrian Air Force bombarded two military airfields around Damascus, the air force base of Dumair, and the air force base of Katana," the opposition Lebanese Foundation for Peace said. "Also, late night around 3 a.m., the Syrian Air Force bombarded military positions of the Syrian Army west of the city of Homs."

While this would undoubtedly be possible, given all the talk about Assad being weakened by Syria's forced withdrawal from Lebanon and the fact that he was not a strong leader to start with, I am not very confident of the credibility this opposition group. If this has happened, this would not necessarily be a positive development. If hard-line military leaders have taken over, a direct confrontation with the US becomes that much more likely.

UPDATE: It seems that the rumors of a coup were not correct PubliusPundit says.