Son of Syrian opposition leader killed

The son of the leader of Syrian opposition group, the Syrian Social Nationalist party (SSNP) was assassinated on Wednesday by an "armed terrorist group", Syria's state news agency has said, Ismail Haidar, son of leader Ali Haidar, was killed alongside another SSNP member, Fadi Atawneh, by machine gun fire on the road between Homs and Masyaf, reported SANA. The SSNP, founded by Lebanese academic Antun Saadeh in the 1930s, is "an opposition party calling for democratic change in Syria, but adamantly rejected foreign intervention and the militarisation of the uprising," said Arab daily al-Akhbar. It quoted an anonymous high-ranking member of the SSNP based in the US as saying: "The SSNP has taken a position that is neither to the complete liking of the regime nor to the complete liking of many elements in the opposition, but which it feels represents the interest of Syria, which should be above all other interests." "Unfortunately, certain elements on the ground believe that unless you are a hundred percent with them, then you are a hundred percent against them, and as a result two young members of the SSNP have paid with their lives for the party's position." SSNP member Mohammad Zahweh told Al-Akhbar: "It happened yesterday evening. There were gunmen waiting [on the street] and they began firing on the car...we have received threats, particularly against the president [of] the party, but we couldn't specify the source of those threats. I can't really say for sure [who was responsible]. The investigation is underway [and] we don't want to guess who was behind it, it could've been a criminal act. SANA quoted SSNP leader Ali Haidar as saying: "I don't need condolences over the deaths of my son and his comrade, because their blood is no more precious than the blood of any Syrian that was martyred before or will be martyred in the coming days ... Those who carry guns will not terrorise us and will not silence us nor stop is from working day and night to establish peace and security in Syria ...Ismael and his comrade are the victims of terrorism that is afflicting Syria… they, like the rest of the martyrs, fell so that Syria may live, for Syria's interest is above all interests."