Public Intelligence

Syrian soldiers, who have defected to join the Free Syrian Army, hold up their rifles as they secure a street in Saqba, in Damascus suburbs, January 27, 2012. REUTERS/Ahmed Jadallah

Syrian soldiers, who have defected to join the Free Syrian Army, hold up their rifles as they secure a street in Saqba, in Damascus suburbs, in this January 27, 2012 file photo. People have described Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to Reuters as a head of state fully abreast of events on the ground - not the mere puppet of hardliners that some have portrayed - "relaxed and phlegmatic", and determined to see off the challenge, offering some reforms, strictly on his own terms. While few rate his long-term prospects highly, all is not lost, at least for now. Assad's troops swiftly drove back the more lightly armed rebels from the outskirts of Damascus and many foresee a long struggle yet for a country, at the heart of the Middle East, that is trapped in a "balance of weakness". Picture taken January 27, 2012. REUTERS/Ahmed Jadallah/Files

In this Sunday, Feb. 5, 2012 photo, Syrian rebels gather in an alley as they secure a demonstration in Idlib, Syria. President Bashar Assad's government vowed Sunday to continue its crackdown on a nearly 11-month-old uprising that has become one of the deadliest of the Arab Spring. The graffiti above them on the wall above them, in Arabic, reads, "behave, stranger."(AP Photo)

Syrian rebels walk in an alley in Idlib, Syria, Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2012. Activists say Syrian troops have continued shelling residential neighborhoods in the central city of Homs for the fifth straight day, killing scores of people. (AP Photo)

Syrian rebel fighters are seen during an exchange of fire with army troops, unseen, in Idlib, Syria, Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2012. The European Union will impose harsher sanctions on Syria, a senior EU official said Wednesday, as Russia tried to broker talks between the vice president and the opposition to calm violence. Activists reported at least 50 killed in the regime's siege of the restive city of Homs. (AP Photo)

A Syrian rebel takes cover during an exchange of fire with army troops, unseen, in Idlib, Syria, Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2012. The European Union will impose harsher sanctions on Syria, a senior EU official said Wednesday, as Russia tried to broker talks between the vice president and the opposition to calm violence. Activists reported at least 50 killed in the regime's siege of the restive city of Homs. (AP Photo)

A Syrian rebel fighter aims during an exchange of fire with army troops, unseen. in Idlib, Syria, Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2012. The European Union will impose harsher sanctions on Syria, a senior EU official said Wednesday, as Russia tried to broker talks between the vice president and the opposition to calm violence. Activists reported at least 50 killed in the regime's siege of the restive city of Homs. (AP Photo)

Members of the Free Syrian Army attend a weapons training session outside Idlib, Syria, Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2012. (AP Photo)

Syrian soldiers who defected to join the Free Syrian Army (FSA) pose for a photograph at an FSA base outside the town of Qusair January 8, 2012. Picture taken January 8, 2012. REUTERS/Stringer

A Syrian soldier who defected to join the Free Syrian Army poses as he stands guard at their base outside the town of Qusair on January 11, 2012. Picture taken January 11, 2012. REUTERS/Stringer

Syrian soldiers who have defected to join the Free Syrian Army, sit in a car as they hold their rifles as they secure the area during a funeral of a protester Mazen abou Dhahab in Saqba, January 27, 2012. REUTERS/ Ahmed Jadallah

Supporters of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) block a street during a protest in Reef Damascus, north of Damascus, early February 4, 2012, against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces attacking the town of Homs. More than 200 people were killed in shelling by Syrian forces in the city of Homs, activists said on Saturday, as the U.N. Security Council prepared to vote on a draft resolution backing an Arab call for Assad to give up power. REUTERS/Stringer

A Syrian soldier displays weapons seized from what officials say were gunmen, during the tour of Arab monitors in Damascus countryside Harasta January 26, 2012. Syrian authorities are holding ceasefire talks with rebels who have seized some areas near Damascus, a local official said on Thursday, in a sign that a 10-month-old revolt against President Bashar al-Assad has crept close to the capital. REUTERS/Ahmed Jadallah