Syria's Al-Assad e-mails

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Leaked e-mails show hidden side of al-Assad regime

By the CNN Wire Staff

updated 6:51 PM EDT, Thu March 15, 2012

(CNN) -- A cache of e-mails leaked to CNN is giving extraordinary insight into the life of Syria's first family during the regime's move to crush a now-year-long civilian uprising.

The e-mails were obtained by CNN's "Anderson Cooper 360" from a source in the region after the e-mail accounts were hacked. They appear to show a family often occupied with YouTube videos and shopping while the brutal crackdown continued, and they also apparently reveal some of Iran's influence over Syria's president.

Just before Bashar al-Assad delivered a speech January 10, an aide apparently e-mailed him, saying a political adviser to the Iranian ambassador encourages Assad to use "strong and violent" language.

In that speech, al-Assad then promises to strike the opposition with an "iron fist."

There also are e-mails from a man named Hosein Mortada, who -- according to his Facebook page -- is the Damascus bureau chief for two Iranian news networks. Mortada twice offers advice to the president's aide, who passes it on to Assad.

On Christmas Eve, Mortada apparently wrote that al Qaeda should not be blamed for a recent attack.

"I even received calls from Iran and Hezbollah, being the director of several Iranian and Lebanese channels, and they advised me NOT to even mention al Qaeda being behind the incident ... because this would be a serious tactical media error," Mortada wrote, according to the e-mail.

Two days later, with Arab League monitors on the ground in Syria, Mortada apparently e-mailed the same aide that Syrian supporters needed to make sure opposition members did not turn out in large numbers in public: "We need to take control of public squares ... at the same time, groups affiliated with us will fill the squares."

CNN has tried to reach Mortada to ask about the authenticity of the e-mails but so far has received no response.

The monitors stayed in Syria for several weeks, visiting various cities and towns as they tried to assess whether the government was upholding its commitment to end the crackdown.

Shortly after the monitors' arrival in late December, an apparently amused al-Assad sent one of his closest advisers a YouTube video that mocks the monitors' failure to spot regime tanks in the sites they visited.

"Check out this video on YouTube," al-Assad wrote Dec. 29, according to the e-mail. The reply: "Hahahahahahaha, OMG!!! This is amazing!"

Some of the most interesting insights in the Assad e-mails are personal.

In November, as the Syrian military ramped up its attack on Homs, first lady Asma al-Assad seemed more concerned with the latest "Harry Potter" DVD, apparently asking a friend to bring the movie when she comes for a visit.

The first lady in the past year also seems to have spent much of her time online shopping for expensive jewelry, art, and furniture, and e-mailing boutiques in London and Paris.

During some of the worst of the violence last month, President al-Assad apparently e-mailed his wife the lyrics and audio file to a song by U.S. country singer Blake Shelton with the lyrics, "God gave me you for the ups and downs/God gave me you for the days of doubt."

One of al Assad's advisers apparently sent an e-mail containing a picture of a woman wearing only a G-string and a bra.

The e-mails also appear to show a fawning inner circle, with one person writing in English, "I never met an amazing person like u... i get so proud when people meet u and go tell the world how amazing ur. Miss u."

Amid the violence, it appears not even close friends could persuade al-Assad to step down.

"It seems like its getting worse rather than better," wrote the daughter of Qatar's emir to the first lady, according to the e-mail. "It seems like there needs to be an exit strategy."

Months later, she suggested exile in Doha.

CNN's Tracy Doueiry, Salma Abdelaziz, Saad Abedine, Hamdi Alkhshali, Yasmin Amir, Roba Alhenawi and John Vause, and journalist Samya Ayish, contributed to this report.