Maysaloon - ميسلون

I don't know how accurate these reports are, but not enough is being said about the rate of defections from the Syrian army. This lousy army has never hesitated to fire upon Syrians and yet allows Israel to bomb its way up and down the country. Instead of calling it the Syrian army it should be referred to as Assad's militia, for that is whom they serve. It amazes me how blasé I've become towards the sight of Syrian tanks and soldiers wandering the streets of Syria, let alone the sight of their thousands of victims. I don't want to get used to such views, I want to remain outraged. And I will.

If these defections continue at the rate they are going, then nothing will happen. What needs to take place is a mass disobedience of the army towards its officer corps. The backbone of the Syrian army, like any other, is its officer corps. If they are disobeyed, then a major factor in Assad's grip on the country will go away. At some point, somewhere, there have to be enough breaks within the command structure to render it ineffective. That is when you will see the regime start fleeing.