...banners and wailing with grief, took to the streets on the eve of President Hafez Assad's state funeral, while Syria's powerful military closed ranks behind the late leader's son and heir apparent, Bashar Assad. Photos of Bashar Assad in military...

...and designated heir, Bashar Assad, was flanked by Syria's defense minister, a symbol of the key support Syria's powerful military has thrown behind him. Young and politically untested, the 34-year-old Bashar was meeting for the first...