Israeli Gen.: Assad Could Stay for Years

One of Israel’s top commanders said Wednesday that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad could stay in power for years, despite the bloody civil war that has gripped his country for two years already. “I don’t see any force toppling him tomorrow—though he deserves to pass from this world, and the quicker that happens, the better,” said Major General Yair Golan, the top commander on the Syrian front. In separate comments, the Israeli ambassador to Washington, Michael Oren, said Tuesday that Israel “always wanted Bashar Assad to go.” Meanwhile on the diplomatic front, Russian Deputy Minister Sergei Ryabkov said Wednesday that Assad’s government has handed over evidence that the rebels were responsible for the August 21 sarin gas attack that killed more than 1,400 people.