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Hezbollah and Iran May Need Plan B After Syria Bombing

Hezbollah Chief Hassan Nasrallah and Iran seemed stunned a day after several members of Bashar al-Assad’s inner circle were assassinated at a cabinet meeting in Damascus, writes Laura Rozen. Neither was prepared for the Syrian status quo to shift so quickly and Iran hasn't even begun to prepare for a Syria Plan B.
Members of the Free Syrian Army are seen in Azzaz, Aleppo province July 19, 2012. REUTERS/Shaam News Network/Handout  (SYRIA - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS. THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. IT IS DISTRIBUTED, EXACTLY AS RECEIVED BY REUTERS, AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS

A day after several members of Bashar al-Assad’s inner circle were assassinated at a cabinet meeting in Damascus, Assad’s allies may be beginning to re-evaluate his longevity and what comes next, some regional analysts said.

But speeches by Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah Wednesday and Iran’s initially stunned reaction to events in Damascus suggest neither was quite prepared for the Syrian status quo to shift so quickly.

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