Protesters demand end to authoritarian rule in Syria
STORY: Hundreds took to the streets for the seventh consecutive day of peaceful protests over worsening living conditions caused by steep gasoline prices.
A major economic crisis has seen the local currency collapse, leading to soaring prices for food and basic supplies and which Assad's government blames on Western sanctions.
The rising dissent in loyalist areas that once stood with Assad now pose the biggest challenge to his hold on power after winning a more than decade-long civil war with crucial help from Russia and Iran.
The authorities have kept silent about the widening protests but instructed the security apparatus to stay out of sight and even vacated some checkpoints to avoid friction, officials privately said.
