Iran and Russian remain Assad's only props after China's defection and he is going broke.

The Saudis doubt the US will buy Iran's support for nuclear diplomacy by preserving Assad.

PM Binyamin Netanyahu said drill was routine not the outcome of any unusual security event.

<span class="debka">debka</span><span class="file">file</span>'s military experts conclude from the way Damascus described the episode Wednesday, Sept. 6, that the Pantsyr-S1E missiles, purchased from Russia to repel air assailants, failed to down the Israeli jets accused of penetrating northern Syrian airspace from the Mediterranean the night before. <br/>The new Pantsyr missiles therefore ...</br/>

The threat of military action was embedded in the UN Security Council resolution. It was reinforced by US Secretary of state Condoleezza Rice when she spoke of "serious' consequences" - diplomatic parlance for military action - should Syria fail to cooperate with the final and conclusive part of UN investigator Dehlev Mehlis ...