Al Jazeera has obtained exclusive video of members of the self-styled Free Syrian Army which is made up of pro-democracy protesters and military defectors.
From Homs, they explain why they took up arms against the state.
They say their priority is to protect the Syrian people, and to keep the revolution as peaceful as possible.
Al Jazeera's Zeina Khodr reports from Beirut, the capital of neighbouring Lebanon.
