At least two rocket-propelled grenades hit the offices of Syrian President Bashar Assad’s Bath Party pre-dawn on Sunday. This is the first time in the course of the eight month anti-Assad uprising that a military attack has taken place in the capital city.
The strike occurred just hours after an Arab League deadline demanding that Assad end his violent suppression or face sanctions. Responsibility was claimed by the Syrian Free Army, a group of army defectors currently based in Turkey.
President Assad was quoted on Saturday saying he would continue battling opposition and would “resist the pressure” being placed on him by opposition forces and by the Arab League.
Assad is calling for parliamentary elections in February or March to create a new Syrian constitution. In that constitution, according to Assad, legislators will determine how Syrians will choose a president.