Syria’s Assad celebrates, but lost 20,000 troops

Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad (Source: Agência Brasil, Wikipedia)
بشار الأسد

Notice the following:

Pro-Assad rallies mark anniversary of Syria revolt 15 March 2012

(Reuters) – Huge crowds took to the streets of Syria’s cities on Thursday in an orchestrated show of support for President Bashar al-Assad on the first anniversary of a bloody revolt against his rule that shows no sign of ending.

State television showed thousands of people in central Damascus, waving portraits of Assad and flags of Syria, Russia and China. Moscow and Beijing have not joined Western nations in backing an Arab League plan for Assad to step aside.

“We sacrifice our blood and souls to you, Bashar!” the crowds chanted as three helicopters flew past in a military salute, trailing the national colors on a blustery day.

How Bashar al-Assad fooled the world‎ CNN 15 March 2012

(CNN) — One long, brutal year has passed since the Syrian people launched their revolution, demanding an end to the dictatorship of President Bashar al-Assad. Since then, the regime has killed at least 8,000 people, according to the U.N., and it has sent the rest of the world a quiet but blunt message: You are fools.

Syria’s Assad Withstands Pressure That Toppled Other Arab Leaders‎ Voice of America 15 March 2012…

Assad may derive some of his confidence from a system built by his father, Hafez al-Assad, that has let the family stay in power for the past 40 years.

“This regime came about as a result of a coup in 1970 and was designed from the beginning to resist rebellion, to resist coups,” explains Paul Salem, director of the Carnegie Middle East Center.

Syria Loses 20000 Troops as Desertions Surge, Turkey Says

BusinessWeek – 15 March 2012 By Donna Abu-Nasr and Emre Peker on March 15, 2012 About 20000 Syrian soldiers have deserted from President Bashar al-Assad’s forces in less than a month, according to Turkish intelligence reports cited by a Foreign Ministry official.

So, while Assad according to CNN has “fooled the world,” it may be that the loss of so many troops should also indicate that perhaps he is also fooling himself. Also, if Assad really believes that Russia and China will truly support him much later if the entire West and Arab League support a real war against him, he is in serious error.

The situation in Syria is simply not as good as Assad hopes it is and there still is major internal strife in Syria. So much so, the Syrian government is getting more desperate and increasingly isolated on the world scene. The sanctions against it, combined with internal dissent, must be providing a lot of pressure against its President Assad and his supporters. And one of his closest international supporters is Iran.

Something will have to change in the region. I have been warning for some time that Syria’s President Assad might decide his personal best option is to more closely support Iran and perhaps be involved in an invasion of Jerusalem and Israel. If so, this might be how certain scriptures involving Syria/Damascus is fulfilled.

Notice what the Bible shows will happen to to Syria’s capital Damascus:

1 An oracle concerning Damascus:
“See, Damascus will no longer be a city but will become a heap of ruins. 2 The cities of Aroer will be deserted and left to flocks, which will lie down,with no one to make them afraid. 3 The fortified city will disappear from Ephraim,and royal power from Damascus;the remnant of Aram will be like the glory of the Israelites,” declares the LORD Almighty. (Isaiah 17:1-3)

3 Thus says the Lord:
“For three transgressions of Damascus, and for four,
I will not turn away its punishment…5 I will also break the gate bar of Damascus,
And cut off the inhabitant from the Valley of Aven,
And the one who holds the scepter from Beth Eden.
The people of Syria shall go captive to Kir,”
Says the Lord. (Amos 1:3, 5)

Of course technically, Syria is still at war with Israel as it never did sign a peace deal with Israel. So an actual war involving Syria and Israel (and possibly involving Iran and the USA) is quite feasible. And Syria is aware of that and may possibly some day release chemical or biological weapons.

If so, Israel may hit back so hard that it might eliminate Damascus as Isaiah 17:1 says will happen. Iran may also get “neutralized” in such a regional conflict (either militarily and/or politically) as it is not shown to have an important direct role in scripture until after the King of the South is eliminated (Daniel 11:40-43), and that King has not risen yet (nor will he be Iranian).

Much is going on in the Middle East. Pretending that it is not will be a mistake.

As Jesus said in Mark 13:37, we all should watch.

Some articles of possibly related interest may include:

The Arab World In the Bible, History, and Prophecy The Bible discusses the origins of the Arab world and discusses the Middle East in prophecy. What is ahead for the Middle East and those who follow Islam? What does Islam teach about the Imam Mahdi?
Is There A Future King of the South? Some no longer believe there needs to be. Might Egypt, Islam, Iran, Arabs, or Ethiopia be involved? Is he the Imam Mahdi? What does the Bible say?