Special to WorldTribune.com

LONDON — The regime of President Bashar Assad, despite nearly a year
of fighting, has been using only a fraction of its military might against
the Sunni rebel movement.

Regime sources said Assad, despite the massive assault on Homs, has
reserved most of his military assets. They said the president did not want a
bloodbath while Army commanders feared the breakup of their units.

“The Syrian military remains strong and cohesive because it has not sent large amounts of soldiers into battle,” a regime source said.

Soldiers who serve in the Syrian Army agree. A Christian soldier who serves in a Sunni unit in Homs said the Army has used no more than 20 percent of its firepower against the rebels.

“We gain little by shooting as the guns will be grabbed by others, and the anger will ensure that many more join the
revolution,” the unidentified Christian soldier told the Syria Comment blog.

The soldier said the Assad regime has not decided to crush the revolt. He said such an operation would result in 100,000 casualties, about half in
Homs. The Syrian opposition has reported 7,600 casualties since March 2011.

The sources said the strongest military units remain the 4th Armored
Brigade and the Republican Guard, both staffed by Alawites. They said the
two forces have been focused on protecting Damascus while mostly Sunni units
were fighting the rebels in Homs.

“The assessment is that Assad and his advisers have prepared for a long
haul, and they would rather tire out the rebels than risk a rupture in the
military through massive assaults,” the regime source said.

  4th Armored Brigade, Alawites, Bashar Assad, Homs, Republican Guard, Syria’s Assad holding most of his military assets in reserve, Syrian Army