As we reported earlier, Sunday saw a lengthy speech by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, where he talked about recent withdrawals from key positions across Syria, the role Hezbollah and Iran have played on the battlefield, and, perhaps most importantly, that he was, in fact, lacking the manpower needed to hold onto some territory.
And while this may have revealed a new, more desperate regime, it didn’t come out of the blue. Several important clues foreshadowed it. Here’s three of them.
1. Assad announced a general amnesty for military defectors in a decree on state television Saturday, lifting legal penalties for thousands of Syrian army troops who deserted their posts during the last four years. Defections and conscription evasions have had a heavy toll on Assad's manpower, once 300,000 soldiers strong, and this amnesty reach could be an attempt to lure soldiers back to work.
2. Thanks to another recent decree, there is more money to be had in fighting for Assad. Last week, the Syrian government made another announcement about a new pro-government militia's formation in Latakia and the handsome payment Syrians volunteers could expect to get - some 40,000 pounds ($200) a month.
3. Syria’s sides are becoming more complex, but Assad’s still losing men. A report from pro-opposition news site Al Souria this month said more than 1000 soldiers defected from the Syrian army during the first three months of 2015 alone, especially during battles in Damascus. This suggests even as rebel alliances become murkier, the Syrian army is bleeding out.
