Word: assad
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...Douri, the former Vice-President - the "King of Clubs" in the U.S. deck of cards naming the Saddam regime's most wanted figures - is among several Ba'athist leaders believed to be hiding in Syria, under the protection of the regime of President Bashar Assad. He is believed to be in poor health, possibly suffering from stomach cancer. Nonetheless, al-Douri said the Ba'ath Party has been restructured under his leadership as a "revolutionary, struggle-oriented" organization, in which he plays an influential role...
SYRIA President Bashar Assad has disclaimed any ties to Lebanon since the withdrawal of Syrian troops in 2005 but remains a sponsor of Hizballah and is host to Hamas leaders...
...obvious to the outside world, since Ahmadinejad rushed to warn Israel about the consequences of extending its offensive to Syria: "[This] will be equivalent to an attack on the whole Islamic world, and [Israel] will face a crushing response," he said during a phone conversation with Syrian President Bashar Assad, according to the official Iranian news agency...
...Elsewhere, Iran provides crucial support to Syria, Hamas and Hizballah, the three Arab players most visibly defying American and Israeli designs for the Middle East. Syria may prove another tempting target for Israeli forces, which buzzed President Bashar Assad's palace last month as a warning to end its backing for terrorist groups. Jordanian authorities recently accused Hamas of smuggling weapons into Jordan from Syria with the intention of staging terrorist attacks against King Abdullah II's rule. But any military action against Damascus could backfire by plunging Syria itself into a sectarian conflict between Alawite loyalists and the Sunni...
...appears off the table. Other moderates, including Egypt's Mubarak and Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora, also seem eclipsed. In contrast, it is Khaled Meshal, the militant leader of Hamas in exile, and Hassan Nasrallah, Hizballah's chief in Lebanon, both backed by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in Iran and Assad in Syria, who are driving current developments...