Israel Matzav

Report: Assad not shot, alive and in 'high spirits'

The New York Daily News is reporting that 'online updates' indicate that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was not shot, is still alive and is in 'high spirits' (Hat Tip: Memeorandum).

Online reports of Syrian President Bashar Assad’s death appeared greatly exaggerated Sunday.

Arab media said Assad was purportedly shot by one of his Iranian bodyguards Saturday night and was in serious condition.

He was supposedly taken to Al-Shami Hospital in Damascus, where surrounding roads were closed off.

Israel News One’s website even reported that Assad had been “assassinated.”

But online updates said the Syrian leader’s shooting was false and that he was alive and in high spirits. The conflicting reports highlight the chaos that continues to engulf the country, which has been mired in a bloody civil war for two years.

In March 2011, Assad went on Syrian television to show that he was still alive and in 'high spirits.' If he wanted to prove that's still true, he could do it again. Until then, I believe he was shot, although it's impossible to know how seriously he was wounded. The shooting report had too many details to be completely false.

Labels: Bashar al-Assad, Free Syrian Army, Iranian-Syrian axis, Syria, Syrian uprising

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 12:32 PM