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Inside Syrian Regime, Hard-Liners Gain Upper Hand
(Christian Science Monitor) Nicholas Blanford - A senior diplomatic source in Beirut says that in Syria the "hard-liners are completely in charge now." "Clearly, the policy in Damascus now is you cannot show any weakness, no concessions. You use brutal force and it will get you more respect," the diplomat says. According to a senior Palestinian official with a Syria-backed faction, a "rivalry" has emerged between Assad and his younger - and reputedly more hard-line - brother, Maher. The younger Assad heads the Syrian Army's Republican Guard and Fourth Division, the latter of which has played a lead role in the crackdown against opposition activists. Concerns are growing that the Syrian regime is planning to wage a major offensive against Homs to bring Syria's third-largest city back under full government control. Several quarters in Homs are in the hands of the opposition and defended by units of the Free Syrian Army.