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for the Muslim Brotherhoodgang to implementthe ordersand for that gang to find all the necessary arms,training,and financial facilitiesin the Jordanianarena.. . . We arrestedcrirninals belongingto the Muslim Brotherhoodgang in Syria and at the borderwho told us they had beenin Jordan, .fordanian-Syrian lwherethey receivedlsumsof money,weapons,and forgedidentity cards.2e And a month later, Abdullah Omar, a leading Baath Party official in Syria,said that Syriahad evidencethat the Muslim Brotherhoodwas backedbyJordanand by the "Phalangistgangsin Lebanon,supported in by Isr:reland U.S.imperialism.'r0After the explosionin l)amascr-rs rgtlr that killed hundrcds,Syriaaccusedthe Muslim Brotherhoodof actingas "agentsof Israel."sl All of Assad'sand Omar'schargeswere true. The scalcof the attacksin Syriawas harelyrcportedin the United "C)ver thc past five Statcs.A rare cxception appearedin I,Jewstuceft. yearsthe Brotherhoodhasassassinated hundrcdsof Alawite members of Assad'sruling Baath Party,along with their relativcs,Assad'spersonal dcrct<rr, and a nurrrberof Sovietadvisers,"l,lewsweekreportcd. "Assad has irccused Jordan of providing shelterand training for Syrian Brothcrs."ll But for thc most part, the Brotherhoodterror campaign in Syriawas invisibleto Americans.Not so to U.S.intelligcnce, however."We knew about the Muslim Brotherhoodthere,a lot more than what was in the papers,"saysDavid Long. "I was the division chief for Near Eastat INR lthe Bureauof lntelligenceand Researchl. 'We looked benignly upon it. We knew it was risky, but life is risky."3l I'or Assad,the Muslim Brotherboodpresentedan existentialthreat. Martha Kessler,the former CIA analyst,saysthat Israeland Jordan . . . were playing with fire, and I don't think they realizedhow dangerous it would become.But for Assadit wascritical.He spent nearlyfive yearstrying to deal with the Muslim Brotherhood,to accommodate them or co-optthem.In the end,he'd virtuallylost control of the northernthird of the country.He was going down at the time.He was reallvin trouble."3a