20 December 2012 By Abdul Rahman Al-Rashed Of course it was not maintenance or a technical
malfunction when internet and telephone networks were
disrupted, airport traffic was halted, and roads were
closed. This is all part of the war in Damascus. We
have now entered very difficult and dangerous days in
the war to overthrow Bashar al-Assad. Yesterday an
awareness campaign, directed at the Syrian people, was
launched to provide information about what to do in
the event of al-Assad's forces resorting to lethal
chemical and biological weapons. Here we are talking
about the prospect of terrible massacres as the rebels
reach advanced stages in their assault on the capital,
as they are now knocking on the doors of Damascus.
This is not psychological warfare or scaremongering;
we know that this regime is stupid as well as
criminal, but we hope it won't commit its greatest
mistake in the end. Lethal weapons are signs of the regime's
dilapidated forces and its imminent collapse. It is
the last resort for a regime that wants revenge and to
inflict the greatest possible harm on its opponents.
Perhaps, al-Assad thinks this tactic might stop the
rebel assault, force the world to intervene and ensure
a political deal to rescue him. In this endeavour he
will tell the same lies about the massacres his forces
have committed over the past months, and hold the
opposition responsible.
Al Rashed is the general manager of Al -Arabiya
television. He is also the former editor-in-chief of
Asharq Al- Awsat, and the leading Arabic weekly
magazine, Al Majalla. He is also a senior Columnist in
the daily newspapers of Al Madina and Al Bilad. He is
a US post-graduate degree in mass communications. He
has been a guest on many TV current affairs programs.
He is currently based in Dubai. Comments 💬 التعليقات |