Some opposition activists say it 's time for the international community to declare a no-fly zone over Syria , as it did in Libya , to blunt the regime 's overwhelming military advantage . -LRB- There is no sign that Western powers are willing to do this . -RRB- Confrontations are also taking on sectarian overtones that could lead to a wider explosion of communal violence . There have been sectarian shootings and assassinations of prominent local people outside their homes . Residents say the government has begun deploying largely Alawite militia in Sunni neighborhoods such as Khaldiye , Bab Sbaa , Bab DreÃ ¯ b and Bab Amro . Though Syria is majority Sunni , its leadership tends to belong to the Alawite sect . Homs has long been a divided city , with Alawites living in the south and a rapidly growing Sunni population predominant in other neighborhoods . Opposition activists claim that the regime is trying to incite sectarian strife in an effort to divide opponents and show what civil war in Syria might look like . Residents of Homs who recently fled to neighboring Lebanon , and do n't want to be identified due to security
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The cell phone video stutters as it records the movement of soldiers and Syrian militia on the streets from an upstairs window . A whispered commentary describes the scene . Another video shows vehicles riddled with bullet holes , shattered apartments , glass shards and concrete lumps mixed with patches of blood . In yet another , protesters flee as heavy-caliber weapons fire ricochets off buildings . All are scenes purportedly filmed in recent days in Homs , Syria 's third-largest city . Security forces have sealed off entire neighborhoods ; others are blocked by barricades thrown up by protesters . At night , street rallies take place in areas `` liberated '' from government control . The many videos uploaded on social media sites , as well as residents ' accounts , suggest some neighborhoods in Homs -- at the heart of opposition to the regime of President Bashar al-Assad -- are beginning to resemble Sarajevo at the height of the Bosnian civil war . That resistance is now becoming more organized and armed . Army deserters calling themselves the Free Syrian Army are helping with the defense of districts opposed to the regime .