Russia is pressuring Maher Assad, the brother of Syrian president Bashar Assad, to withdraw his troops from various regions in the country and return them to their bases in Damascus, said different sources.
Maher leads the Fourth Armored Division in the Republican Guard.
Opposition sources said that clashes had taken place among members of the division in the al-Qalamoun region east of Damascus.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights on Saturday said Moscow has ordered that all Fourth Armored Division checkpoints be removed, but Maher has refused to comply.
Russia, explained the rights monitor, is seeking to boost its Fifth Corps throughout Syria, especially in Daraa, by recruiting more members.
More Sweida protests
Separately, anti-regime protests erupted in the predominantly Druze city of Sweida on Saturday after they were interrupted for two days by pro-Damascus rallies.
The regime-held city has witnessed days of protests against the deteriorating economy. The value of the Syrian pound has plummeted with dizzying speed in recent days on the informal market, sending prices skyrocketing nationwide and shuttering shops.
The country's currency hit a record 3,000 Syrian pounds to the dollar earlier this week in an accelerating free-fall. It traded at 47 pounds at the start of the conflict.
The government has criticized a wave of new, tighter US sanctions, known as the Caesar Act, which takes effect later this month which economists and politicians say will further tighten the noose around Bashar’s regime.
The Sweida 24 network reported that Saturday’s protesters demanded political change, starting with Bashar’s ouster. Their demands echoed the calls made during the early days of the Syrian conflict nine years ago when anti-government protesters called for regime change.
Saturday’s rallies said that Bashar’s departure would pave the way for resolving all of the country’s economic, social and political problems.
Druze leaders issued a statement wondering what the government has done to protect its people from the collapse of the currency and their growing poverty.
At the same time, they condemned the renewed protests, which they said were staged by “sons who had disobeyed their parents.”
Such behavior “should be halted through all possible means” because it deviates from the generations of norms and traditions.
Protesters challenge Druze leaders
The protest organizers responded by acknowledging that the Druze leaderships were in a difficult position due to the regime. They added however, they have for years lived with and respected their choices.
“This time around, we will accept everything from you, except this one thing and that is to bar us from our right to have a choice,” they declared. “We have taken our decision and we are not asking you to support it, but we plead with you not to obstruct it.”
“This is our time and our place. We have endured oppression for too long. Do not stand with and champion the oppressor.”
They urged them to support their protests, adding: “History will attest to how you protected the freedom of your youths and their legitimate constitutional, legal and humanitarian rights.”
Sweida had during the early days of the conflict in 2011 taken a neutral position from the anti-regime revolt. Its youth, however, refused to fight alongside the regime.
“We will not commit the same mistakes of the past and we will take decisions that meet national, democratic and civil rights,” said the youths on Saturday.
