Washington, D.C., United States (AHN) – President Hosni Mubarak on Thursday ended his speech to the nation without announcing his immediate departure, leaving protestors frustrated and angry, but the Egyptian military’s next moves will define the direction of the nation.

The Egyptian military top brass showed extreme restraint over more than two weeks of street protests with a culminating set of events that gave an impression that the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces ready to take power.

The Council, consisting of Field Marshal Mohammed Hussein Tantawi, defense minister and commander of the armed forces; Lt. Gen. Sami Annan, military chief of staff; the chief of operations; and the heads of the Egyptian army, navy, air force and air defenses, came out with the release of a statement, titled, “Statement No.1″

Speaking to AHN Media, immediately after the speech, one Arab intelligence source in Washington, DC predicted limited bloodshed followed by a military takeover.

“There is no doubt that the protestors are angry and we can expect actions like marching to the palace or even to the American embassy in case there is some kind of trigger is used by vested interests,” the source said, noting that the authorities would definitely now go ahead with clearance of protestors.

The move to clear the squares would result in skirmishes which could build to more sanguinary clashes, giving the armed forces the need to step in and the changes in the status-quo could then be predicted.

With Friday looming large as day break will come and protests would peak but the source in the Arab intelligence reiterated that the Egyptian armed forces would finally step in.

The source, however, cautioned against unwanted rogue elements in the crowds of protestors, taking advantage of the melee to test the patience of the military, which is waiting in the wings to step in for keeping the country from falling into the Islamic hands while letting go of Mubarak and his cronies.

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