The only dimension in which the opposition is winning is in foreign propaganda and information. Only a few days ago, numerous outlets reported on the massacre of deserters, without clarifying whether these deserters were armed or whether they intended to fight against the regime.

These sensationalised articles present natural assumptions that the opposition is very strong, that pro-regime forces are responsible for all civilian deaths, and, until recently, that the opposition did not target or attack Assad's security forces. All three are fundamentally untrue.