Wednesday, October 12, 2005
Hama rules still apply
On Tuesday, the Syrian media fired the latest volley in an escalating spat with Lebanon ahead of the release of a UN report into Hariri’s murder, claiming Beirut was being placed under foreign domination by its new leaders.
Syria, of course, knows "foreign domination" of Lebanon when it sees it, but this is absurd even by the Arab world's laughable standards for credibility in propaganda.
Meanwhile, in other exciting Syria news, that revolting country's Minister of the Interior, Brig. Gen. Ghazi Kenaan, apparently committed suicide. I say "apparently" because General Kenaan was thought by some to be a leading suspect in the Valentine's Day killing of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri:
Kenaan, who was Syria's intelligence chief in Beirut for 20 years, was one of at least seven Syrians recently questioned by a U.N. team investigating the Feb. 14 assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.
The government, of course, denies suggestions that it might have snuffed out General Kenaan to cover up its involvement in Hariri's killing:
Syrian President Bashar Assad, in an interview with CNN before Kenaan's death was announced, rejected any possibility that Damascus ordered Hariri's assassination.
"This is against our principles and my principles, and I would never do such a thing in my life," Assad said. "What do we achieve? I think what happened targeted Syria."
Oh? "Hama rules" no longer apply? What sort of person has the confidence and authority to rise to the rank of general and serve in an Arab intelligence agency, and then kills himself with a silencer?
A Syrian official said Kenaan shot himself in the mouth with a silencer-equipped gun. A colleague found him slumped on his desk and a pool of blood on the ground, said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak publicly on such matters.
What purpose is there in killing yourself with a silencer?
Hama rules definitely still apply.
[UPDATED]
3 Comments:
By 
Purple Avenger, at
Wed Oct 12, 07:32:00 PM:
Put the Kenaan "suicide" in the context of the coup rumors that were swirling around on some Syrian blogs around the time of the pullout from Lebanon.
Kenaan comes back and is put in charge of sheep flocks and housing. Not exactly a post befitting someone on his past career track. One might reasonably expect him to be unhappy, even angry, about being given such a lowly post.
Given his past posting, his connections within the Syrian military were obviously quite developed. Probably developed enough that he had a reliable clique of his own developed - a clique powerful enough to maybe mount a coup. That Bashir is not quite the man is father was is obvious. That hardliners who wanted to continue occupying Lebanon exist is also obvious.
IMO, what we see here is a coup attempt that was detected and tamped down before it had a chance to get off the ground.
If this is the case, we'l be seeing some generals, colonels and majors suddenly "retiring" then disapearing to the comfort of a shallow grave in the desert.
By Final Historian, at
Wed Oct 12, 11:38:00 PM:
Interesting analysis Avenger. Quite possible. Definitely need to keep paying attention to Syria in the interim.
By Dan Kauffman, at
Thu Oct 13, 06:19:00 PM:
I wonder if this "suicide" was another suicide by multiple gunshot wounds like that of Abu Nidal.
Jane's Information Group
