After a short lull in protests against the regime of President Bashar Assad after he fired his cabinet and offered some meager concessions to the opposition, Syrians have returned to the streets with a vengeance, forcing Assad to deploy his military in one city rocked by violent demonstrations.

Reuters:

Syrian security forces sealed off the coastal city of Banias overnight following pro-democracy protests and killings by irregulars loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, witnesses said on Monday.

Violence in Banias, home to one of Syria's two oil refineries, erupted on Sunday when irregulars from the ruling Alawite minority, known as "shabbiha," fired at residents with automatic rifles from speeding cars, the witnesses said.

Four people were killed in the mostly Sunni Muslim city on the Mediterranean coast, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. Authorities said an armed group had ambushed a patrol near Banias, killing nine soldiers.

Activists and protesters said roads to Banias were blocked.

"Electricity has been cut since yesterday. People are very afraid," Anas al-Shughri, one of the protest leaders, told Reuters from Banias. "The army has deployed in Banias with infantry and they have set up checkpoints in and around the city."

The Alawite minority that rules the country, dominates the economy, and fills out most key positions in the government is terrified of what would happen if the Sunni's gained control. Hence, the religious-inspired militias that are trying to stop change any way they can.

It is not beyond imagining that Assad would massacre opponents if he had no other option. His father murdered thousands under similar circumstances 30 years ago.

I wonder if Hillary still thinks this thug is a "reformer?"