Syrian army defectors 'attack air force base'

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2011/11/201111163538991291.html


"This is probably not the first attack on [a] security headquarters," said Al Jazeera's Rula Amin, reporting from Lebanon. "But what is significant about this attack is that it is in Damascus, the capital. This shows how much trouble there is for the regime."

The possible turning point, as I've said, is when members of the military decide they've had enough and go to join the side they calculate will end up triumphant. It happened rather quickly in Egypt. In Syria, for reasons we don't understand, it has taken longer. But once the lower echelons of the military obtain heavy miltary equipment, the game changes. Since the target here was an air base, we're tempted to think that this was an attack to remove the regime's air capability and allow more free mobility for forces arrayed against them. That's speculation on my part, but like I said, it's very tempting.