The German foreign intelligence service, the BND disclosed that “around 90 terror attacks that can be attributed to organizations that are close to Al-Qaeda or jihadist groups were carried out in Syria between the end of December and the beginning of July.” “At least three major German newspapers – Die Welt, Die Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung and Bild have published reports attributing responsibility for the May 25 massacre in the Syrian town of Houla to anti-government rebel forces….writing in Bild, German war correspondent Jurgen Todenhofer accused the rebels of ‘deliberately killing civilians and then presenting them as victims of the government.’ He described this ‘massacre-marketing strategy’ as being among the most disgusting things that I have ever experienced in an armed conflict.’”

Some activists said on Thursday that they were growing frustrated with the Free Syrian Army’s approach.

“They don’t admit their defeats,” said Ammar, 22, an activist from Aleppo. “Everything is tactical, and all their operations are always about high expectations.”

A woman from Homs, who would not give her name, said that residents ended up suffering when the rebels moved into a neighborhood only to depart when the Syrian military entered. “Why do they claim the areas are free and say they’ve liberated them if they know they cannot stand against the regime’s troops and tanks?” she asked.