Battle Lines Are Being Drawn In Damascus

A Free Syrian Army fighter took cover during clashes in the Salaheddine neighborhood of central Aleppo Tuesday. Goran Tomasevic/Reuters

On Damascus Streets, Front Lines Multiply -- Wall Street Journal

Neighborhood Patrols in Syrian Capital Take Up Arms for the Regime; In Some Areas, Rebels Are Manning the Checkpoints.

DAMASCUS—Syria's capital, once a haven from the violence tearing through much of the country, now has multiple front lines and bears battle scars of its own.

A maze of checkpoints and neighborhood patrols run by the most hardened supporters of President Bashar al-Assad has allowed the government to reassert control in most areas—after rebel fighters stunned soldiers and residents last month.

Local councils of regime supporters, called Popular Committees, were months ago given the task by municipalities to guard their respective neighborhoods. Now, their members—mostly men in their 20s and 30s—have been armed with rifles and handguns, issued ID cards and given monthly salaries.

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My Comment: The impression that I have of the Syrian conflict is that for now everything is at a stalemate .... with communities divided along sectarian lines. But for the Assad regime and their Alawite base, this is not sustainable. They may have the firepower, but they are outnumbered by the Sunni majority. With time .... and with experience .... the rebels will be gaining the upper hand .... especially as they continue to receive better weapons and defections continue within the Syrian military.