Israeli General: Assad Could Stay in Power For Years

(Reuters)—Syrian President Bashar al-Assad could cling to power for years despite having lost overall control of his country, according to Israel's top commander on the frontier with Syria.

Major-General Yair Golan's remarks, published on Wednesday in the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper, reflected debate in Israel over Assad's fate, 2-1/2 years into Syria's civil war, after a U.S.-Russian agreement to force him to give up his chemical weapons.

"He will stay on for years. I don't see any force toppling him tomorrow morning—though he deserves to pass from this world, and the quicker that happens, the better," Golan said.

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