FILE - In Oct. 6, 2012 file photo released by the Syrian official news agency SANA, Syrian President Bashar Assad greets military officers in a ceremony marking the anniversary of the 1973 Arab-Israeli war in Damascus, Syria. With even his most powerful ally, Russia, losing faith in him, President Bashar Assad may appear to be heading for a last stand against rebel forces who have been waging a ferocious battle to overthrow him for nearly two years. But Assad still has thousands of elite and loyal troops behind him, and analysts say that even if he wanted to give up the fight, it's unclear those around him would let him abandon ship and leave them to an uncertain fate.(AP Photo/SANA, File)
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