“As the showdown in Syria moves into a decisive phase, U.S. officials report sharply rising Syrian army defections, double-dealing by an anxious Iran and mounting Arab pressure for a transition plan to remove President Bashar al-Assad.

‘I am stunned at how fast this is moving, and how fast Assad is falling,’ said one senior administration official who helps coordinate U.S. policy toward Syria. This official said the U.S. hopes that Russia — recognizing how quickly Assad’s position is deteriorating — won’t oppose a U.N. resolution this week calling for Assad to step down.

Tommy Vietor, a spokesman for the National Security Council, summed up the new developments Tuesday with this statement: ‘Assad’s fall is inevitable.  It’s clear his regime is no longer in full control of the country and only continues to take Syria toward a dangerous end.’

According to the latest U.S. intelligence reports, 300 Syrian army soldiers defected Monday in the Damascus suburb of Jisrine; 50 more defected in the town of Rsatan and dozens in other suburbs of Damascus. The defectors joined the opposition force known as Free Syrian Army, the administration official said, adding that the defections continued Tuesday.”

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