Fighter in Free Syrian Army (Sezayi Erken/AFP/Getty)There were two important developments in Syria on Monday. The day started with a large protest in the central Midan district of Damascus, the opposition's test the regime's promise to meet the Arab League's demand for reforms. The regime failed that test, opening fire on one of the largest protests in Damascus in months and killing up to three people.

By the end of the day, however, this headline was eclipsed by others: as many as 48 civilians had died nationwide, and 70 (or 72) soldiers had been killed in Jebel al Zawiya in Idlib Province in the northwest, as they tried to defect. The combined total of deaths, reported by some activists,would make Monday one of the bloodiest days of the crisis.

By late Monday night, however, a series of controversies had arisen. Neither the Local Coordinating Committees of Syria nor the Free Syrian Army nor any of EA's contacts had any direct knowledge of the defectors. Indeed, we were wary of the report because it did not come through traditional sources. EA's earlier note that a source had spoken to one of the defectors, was a misunderstanding --- the source had read an account from the original source, the Syrian Revolution General Commission. In-fighting began to set in, as some activists doubted the validity of the claims.