On 19 December, it became clear that "Army defectors have taken control over some towns and villages, almost as though they have created some sort of safe area, where protesters from other regions were seeking a safe haven and where defectors were able to operate from", and Syrian Army forces launched an offensive on one area, massacring a large number of civilians in one village.
12月19日，很明显“一些从叙利亚军队叛逃的人开始控制一些城镇和村庄，他们几乎开辟了一些安全地带，在那里来自其他区域的抗议示威者可以寻求安全庇护，并且叙利亚政府军的逃兵也可以从那里出发开展行动”，叙利亚政府军对其中一块类似区域发动了进攻，在一座村庄屠杀了大量平民。