U.S. Says Fall of Syrian Regime a 'Matter of Time'
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
It is "a matter of time" before the Syrian regime headed by President Bashar al-Assad is ousted from power by a popular uprising, U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said on Monday.
Speaking in Tel Aviv after meeting his Israeli counterpart, Panetta said Washington and other foreign capitals had "made clear Assad should step down."
"While he continues to resist, I think it's very clear that it's a matter of time before that (exit) in fact happens. When it does, we don't know," he said.
The Pentagon chief, in a visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories on Monday, said Assad's regime had lost all credibility after a brutal crackdown that has killed at least 2,700 people, according to the United Nations.
"Any time you kill your own people as indiscriminately as they have over these last number of months, it's pretty clear that they have lost their legitimacy as a government," he said at a news conference with Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak.
Panetta, who served as CIA director until taking over as defense chief in July, pledged the United States and other countries would keep up pressure on the regime to make way for a government more responsive to the needs of its people.
Barak also said the Damascus regime's days were numbered and that Assad's fall from power would represent a "major blow" to what he called a "radical axis" of militants in the region supported by Iran.
In Syria, protesters poured onto the streets in a mass show of support for a powerful opposition grouping that was launched in Istanbul, activists said on Monday.
03 October 2011, 19:48
07
simply said :)
weapons and support are already o the way.
bye bye Assad and hizbushaitan :) see you in iran.....
03 October 2011, 19:51
11
i wish it is so easy....it was so long and so bloody,god save bilad el arz from the irakisation of bilad el sham.
i can see that from the constant weakening of hariri's influence on the ground especially in tripoli and iklim el kharroub and the strenghtening of the radical groups.
03 October 2011, 21:19
04
i remember aoun said that until the assad s family remains in power no progress could be made in lebanon...but he now praises that murderous regime.
now that it will soon arrive, he will change sides again won t he?
i remember hezbollah saying thk u to this regime, now that we see what they are capable of, killing their own people,afetr killing so many lebanese , we clearly see what kind of terrorist party hezb is to support murderers...
and there are still people in lebanon to support injustice, torture, killings..what kind of humans are they?
they do not differ from the sionist regime, they are the same as those they accuse of massacres....
03 October 2011, 22:13
05
@mustapha
hariri's influence is not getting weaker, rther it is getting deeper. please do not believe hizbushaitan media.
it is normal after the comments of alrahi to see some sunnis upset but that does not mean they are becoming extremist.
things will fall again into place soon, just a bit of patience.
03 October 2011, 22:32
60
Tell this to cheikh Imbecile this way he can return to Lebanon like everybody else. We need cheikh Imbecile and we need him now. His flock are lost without him. Still, not as much as with him. Did I mention that he is an Imbecile? He is, and I guess this says a lot about his flock of "geniuses!!!"
03 October 2011, 22:41
40
This is an expression that the US is unwilling to do anything decisive to Syria. You can say the same thing to anyone.
Fall of Obama is a matter of time.
Fall of Sarkozy is a matter of time.
Fall of Cameron is a matter of time.
03 October 2011, 22:56
05
I respect your opinion guys, but do realize you are dillusional, as this is hapening now :)
03 October 2011, 23:40
10
These two clowns are only interested in the Iraqisation and Balkanization of Syria. They know very well that the Syrian people hate Israel AND American Zionist foreign policy more than the lousy Baathist Syrian Government. Unfortunately, I agree with Mustapha, the regime will still be in power if not all of Syria...a large chunk of it. These 2 vultures are only happy because they smell Arab blood.
03 October 2011, 23:56
04
@z had dad
From your comment we can easily deduct the fact that you're a Harvard graduate man!
04 October 2011, 09:41
40
@geha - you know nothing about politics and it clearly shows. Your hatred and harsh words will never get you anywhere and yes time will tell.
04 October 2011, 17:39
01
fadi i guess it s you who don t understand that this regime is falling... you and the puppets that the syrian placed in lebanon... they all say that everythg is ok but the facts prove the contrary!
why didn t the usa do somethg before? they were waiting to see what would happen before supporting or not assad! the usa and israel have no benefit in the fall of the assad s regime: assad is an ally to israel....
but now seeing that the people are no more bending their neck and that the opposition is getting organised ,this murderers regime is bound to collapse...
puppets in lebanon are shaking... the proof is the fact that they keep saying that nothing is going on in syria to try and hide the awful truth of the killings of children and women they dare to support!
supporting assad is supporting torture killings of children and women beatings and so on...
unless this is the model their supporters want for lebanon to shut the mouth of those opposed to hezbollah!
