<blockquote>'Syria's regime is increasingly relying on a core of loyalists to conduct operations, say Syrian opposition members and rebel fighters. In recent weeks, Mr. Assad's army has been hobbled by defections, losing territory in Kurdish areas as well as near Turkey's border, these people say. On Monday, a Syrian military helicopter crashed in a ball of fire in Damascus, according to the Associated Press, citing activists and video footage.
..
Iran at first denied the kidnapped Iranians had any link with the IRGC. But Mr. Salehi later said some of the hostages were retired members of the IRGC, calling them Iran's "most dear and beloved." Iranian opposition media, meanwhile, have named four of the men, calling them current IRGC commanders from various Iranian provinces.'
- Farnaz Fassihi,
Iran Said to Send Troops to Bolster Syria, August 27, 2012</blockquote>
Context<blockquote>
(Syria) - Culture in defiance - 'Continuing Traditions of Satire, Art and the Struggle for Freedom in Syria''..the murderous Assad army, the regime's iron first, is disintegrating, albeit slowly..'(Syria) '..the regime’s forces .. are exhausted and fragmented.'Iran 'fighting in Syria'</blockquote>