Greets and saluts from the sweltering NYC metro area, which is going to bake today with a high likelihood of t-storms this afternoon.

Yet, the news of the day is that Assad’s inner circle was devastated when a suicide bomber managed to strike at a meeting of defense ministers, killing the Defense minister, deputy defense minister and others. Among the dead is one of Assad’s brothers-in-law.

It’s a huge blow against the regime, and a major success for the opposition, which has been fighting with the regime in and around Damascus for the past couple of days. Those killed are among the people responsible for the violent and brutal crackdown that has led to this point.

Where does Syria go from here? I figure that Assad will intensify the crackdown, since that’s all he knows how to do. Russia keeps saying that they’re not going to prop up Assad, but they are by blocking any action at the UN and by not offering up a golden parachute to allow Assad exile as an alternative to a bloody end. The opposition will see their ranks swell as more defections occur and they take the fight to the regime.

I just don’t have any kind of timeframe for what will happen. The situation in Yemen might be analogous, but that would assume that Assad would be willing to step down and cede power and he’s shown no willingness to do so.