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 Press TV has conducted an interview with Charles Shoebridge, a former intelligence officer, from London, about the Syrian Army’s recent advancement into Homs. The following is an approximate transcript of the interview.

- What do you make of these latest advances? It seems that the Syrian military is continuing to advance and as they take over areas that were in the hands of the insurgents always they are coming across foreign equipment, foreign guns basically that shows the other side has been heavily supplied by foreign countries. Your take?

- Yes, what we’re seeing now is evidence actually from the ground in very large quantities is consistent and confirms the picture that’s been reported for some time.

Of course, many analysts have said from the start that this was, notwithstanding this uprising’s origins, that within weeks, if not months, of those demonstrations that took place against Mr. Assad’s government in the first instance, that this was a revolution if it can be called, that it was largely exploited by outside forces, particularly those sponsored by Saudi Arabia and Qatar and of course by the US via allies such as Jordan and Turkey.

And so it shouldn’t be surprising then that large amounts of foreign equipment are being uncovered and some of it quite sophisticated.

It’s interesting, of course, that much of this has been found in underground tunnels, for example, that would give cover from airstrikes, which I think have been quite effective against the thus far.

I think also reports coming out now that in the wake of this military advance and let’s face it the rebels have been beset with a number of setbacks in the last few weeks not least of course military setbacks; and the fall of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt can be seen widely as a setback for them.

And of course it’s true to say in the West that there is declining appetite, certainly amongst the ordinary people - opinion polls show very clearly that there is no support or very little support for Syria’s rebels.

And perhaps on top of that now reports coming out yesterday even confirmed by the pro-opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights based here in the UK that the rebels are now in many instances fighting amongst each other.

And in some cases there have been some rebels reported - and again this is from the SOHR pro-opposition organization - reported to be firing on anti-rebel demonstrations in places such as Homs.