This article was reported by a correspondent for The New York Times in Homs, Syria, and written by Anthony Shadid in Beirut, Lebanon.
HOMS, Syria — The semblance of a civil war has erupted in Homs, Syria’s third-largest city, where armed protesters now call themselves revolutionaries, gun battles erupt as often as every few hours, security forces and opponents carry out assassinations, and rifles costing as much as $2,000 apiece flood the city from abroad, residents say.
Since the start of the uprising in March, Homs has stood as one of Syria’s most contested cities, its youth among the best organized and most tenacious. But across the political
HOMS, Syria — The semblance of a civil war has erupted in Homs, Syria’s third-largest city, where armed protesters now call themselves revolutionaries, gun battles erupt as often as every few hours, security forces and opponents carry out assassinations, and rifles costing as much as $2,000 apiece flood the city from abroad, residents say.
Since the start of the uprising in March, Homs has stood as one of Syria’s most contested cities, its youth among the best organized and most tenacious. But across the political
spectrum,
residents speak of a decisive shift in past weeks, as a largely
peaceful uprising gives way to a grinding struggle that has made Homs
violent, fearful and determined.
Analysts caution that the
strife in Homs is still specific to the city itself, and many in the
opposition reject violence because they fear it will serve as a
pretext for the government’s brutal crackdown. But in the targeted killings, the rival security checkpoints and the hardening of sectarian sentiments, the city offers a dark vision that could foretell the future of Syria’s uprising as both the government and the opposition ready themselves for a protracted struggle over the endurance of a four-decade dictatorship.
“We are done with the protesting phase,” said
a
21-year-old engineering student here who spoke on the condition of
anonymity for fear of reprisal. “We’ve now entered a more
important phase.”
Homs is a microcosm of Syria, with a Sunni Muslim majority and minorities of Christians 
Homs Quarters Union, via Associated Press
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