Syrian rebels posted a video on Friday showing captured members of the Iranian Revolutionary guard who they claimed had participated in repressing the Syrian revolution. The Syrian government's unending killing of civilians and the use of foreign fighters has sparked dissident outrage in Syria and abroad.

Hizballah fighters were invited to fight alongside Iranian Revolutionary Guard members earlier this week, to prevent the fall of an Iranian military facility just outside of Syria's capital of Damascus, Haaretz reports, citing an Al-Arabiya television report. Both foreign armed groups stand to lose a strategic ally if Syrian President Bashar al-Assad falls.

Leading Syrian dissident organization, the Syrian National Council [SNC], also recently announced that it has agreed to fund the roughly 20,000 to 30,000 rebels active throughout Syria, and to help them unify their military command. The decision, prompted by the violence of Syrian government units, illustrates the military dimension that has engulfed the formerly civil conflict.

Other dissidents showed their frustration with government violence in less subtle ways over the past few days. Pro-democracy protesters in Cairo stormed the local Syrian embassy Friday, smashing windows and tearing down the nation's flag. Gunmen elsewhere in Syria kidnapped 11 Iranian pilgrims Friday, symbolizing popular anger at Iranian influence in the country.