Assad's brother lost his legs in Damascus bomb attack

In a rare meeting with the Saudi newspaper Al-Watan, Russian deputy foreign minister Mikhail Bogdanov said that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's brother (Maher Assad), commander of the 4th Division of Syria's Republican Guards charged with protecting the capital, had lost his legs in the Damascus bomb attack, which rocked headquarters of national security building in Damascus.

Quoting the Russian deputy foreign minister , the newspaper reported that Maher Assad's condition is very critical and he has been fighting for life since July.

Among those killed in the bombing were defense minister Daoud Rajiha; interior minister Mohammed al-Shaarthe, the Head of the national security, General Hisham Ikhtiyar,General Hassan Turkmani ,chief of crisis operations and president's confidant and brother-in-law, Assef Shawkat, who also served as deputy defense minister .The bombing was attributed to the Free Syrian Army fighters.

Bogdanov revealed that Assad is ready to give up his power. He added that now the only role of Russia is to ensure a smooth transition of power in Syria.

The information has only been confirmed by the Saudi newspaper Al-Watan.

At the same time, White House spokesman Jay Carney was asked in a press conference about comments given by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton during her visit to Istanbul, that the creation of a no-fly zone over some parts of Syria would strengthen the hand of the anti-Assad opposition.

He said that, "the president and his team did not neglect any solution, and they try to find, with all our partners and with the Syrian people, a path to political change in Syria. We consider, however, all options available to us, and we will continue to do so."

"The Obama administration continues to regard the current approach, which includes major economic sanctions and international pressure on the Assad regime, as the most appropriate route," he added.

Moreover, as a part of increasing the pressure over Assad's bloody regime, it is
expected that a two-day extraordinary summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in the Saudi city of Mecca will take up the suspension of Syria’s regime OIC membership.