Watch CBS News

Syrian resistance worried about regime air power

Anti-regime forces in Syria continue to resist a government crackdown but remain badly outgunned and are fearful that the Syrian army will start to use their air power soon, reports CBS News correspondent Clarissa Ward.

The army continued its assault on the city of Homs Tuesday, as Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov visited with President Bashar Assad in Damascus. The visit comes days after Russia and China vetoed a United Nations Security Council resolution calling for Assad to step down from power.

Syria's rebels: Ordinary men fight and die
U.S. closes Syria Embassy, pulls all staff
Syria forces keep pounding Homs; 33 dead
Rice: Russia siding with dictator over people

Assad has barred most foreign journalists, but Ward was able to sneak into a town in northern Syria, a town CBS News won't name. She met with rebels who call themselves the Syrian Liberation Army, a force armed with Kalashnikov rifles and grenades but overmatched by government forces that boast tanks, artillery and planes.

Ward reports that rebels had been hoping to carve out some sort of a free zone in the country's north, similar to what Libyan rebels were able to achieve in Benghazi. But they are fearful of launching any serious offensive without more support from the international community - the kind of support that could have come from the U.N. resolution voted down by Russia and China.

Syria: After U.N. vote fails, now what?
U.S. floats coalition against Syria
Syria's Christians stand by Assad

There is also concern over the possibility of a civil war should the Assad regime be toppled, as the government's opposition is not a united front.

Watch the video above for Ward's full report from inside Syria.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.