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Assad aides were targets of assassination attempt, Israeli officials say
Israeli officials regard as credible recent reports of an assassination attempt on top Syrian figures, including President Bashar Assads brother-in-law Assef Shawkat, despite denials by Damascus, Haaretz reported Friday.The paper said Israel had information confirming claims by the Free Syrian Army that it had managed to poison Shawkat, who heads General Intelligence, and five other top officials: Defense Minister Daoud Rajiha, Interior Minister Mohammad al-Shaar, Hassan Turkmani, an aide to the vice president, National Security chief Hisham Bakhtiar and Mohammad Said Bakhitan, the national secretary of the Baath Party. The information, Haaretz said, indicated that prompt medical treatment saved their lives. In a video posted online Sunday, the Special Operations Company of the Al-Sahabah Battalions said it had carried out a covert military operation against the six men, which it said were part of a so-called crisis cell, after two months of surveillance. A spokeswoman for the Revolutionary Council for Damascus told a British newspaper that the method of attack was poisoning and that it was unclear how many of the men were injured or dead. Haaretz said Israel viewed this as an important milestone in the ongoing revolution. Posted by: tipper 2012-05-25 |
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