By: Patrick J. McDonnell - Los Angeles Times

BEIRUT — Syria's armed opposition, driven back from Damascus in a fierce government counteroffensive last summer, appears to be responding with a revamped strategy that runs through some of the capital's most explosive sectarian and ethnic fault lines.

Rule; Never fire an AK-47 while standing on a 12 ft. Ladder

A pair of bombings this week struck districts that are strongholds of President Bashar Assad's Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shiite Islam whose adherents are generally hostile to the Sunni-led uprising. Trusted Alawite commanders run much of Assad's security apparatus.

Meanwhile, rebels have reportedly launched attacks this week on a major pro-Assad Palestinian faction. Syria's 500,000-strong Palestinian community appears to be split between Assad stalwarts and those who sympathize with fellow Sunnis fighting to oust the president.

The recent violence in Damascus includes a string of targeted killings and assassinations of prominent figures associated with the government.

The opposition tactics in the capital have underscored the rebels' continued ability to strike at the heart of Assad's government despite stringent security, including a plethora of checkpoints. 

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