The noose tightens on Assad  (Israel Hayom)  –   “The demise of the Assad regime in Syria is inevitable, as French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said recently.

The first Arab leader to call upon Syrian President Bashar Assad to step down is King Abdullah of Jordan, who said on Monday, “If Bashar had an interest in his country he would step down … If I were in his shoes, I would step down.” Given the history of close Syrian-Jordanian relations and the king’s customary restraint, this is a remarkable statement. The swing of Lebanese Druze leader Walid Jumblatt against Assad is another clue that the regime’s fall is coming. In late October, Jumblatt said, “The Syrian people are revolting against oppression and tyranny.” Jumblatt is a man who always knows which way the wind is blowing.

Worse yet for Assad was the Arab League’s decision to suspend Syria, which not only isolates Assad but pushes the EU further in the direction of anti-regime actions. And on Monday the EU sanctioned more actions, only one step in a series certain to come.”

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