@"...but I don't have much regard for the Syrian army that supports a dictatorship and has inflicted terrible casualties on the civilians"
You realise they are mostly Alawites, right? (This secretive religion which is neither Shia nor Sunni) - they started out as a minority in Syria, though the one in power, and if they lose they lose everything. Their power, their home, their state, and probsbly their lives. There is no other Alawite state to take them in, so even if the sought refuge in Iran, they would quickly become a discriminated against minority...
Assad control the majority Alawite areas of Syria, the Russians helped him consolidate the strategically important coastal ports and cities with local support. So basically even if they don't like it, thry are stuck defending their homes and people.
You don't like it? Well take a look at US, you support a dictatorship in Saudi Arabia, among others, and kill your own civilians with drone strikes (not to mention police on black murders) The US regularily starts wars where civilians die. Listen to some ex- (i wanna say CIA, but maybe it is airforce generals) commanders talk about ordering drone strikes at 2am and thinking to themselves - can i live with myself, if i don't bomb these people and there is a terrorist strike, or if i do and there are civilian casualties...
Clearly civilian casualties are only justified when it is the US causing them.
I don't like the Syrian Army either, but they are the only option for the Alawites, they and Assad need to be brought to a peace negotiation which breaks up Syria and leaves them safe and secure, or we will see another near genocide of the Alawite people. But i don't hate them, they are doing what you should expect any human to do, protecting their own - even i they don't like Assad, and i suspect they love him as much as you love Obama - they have very little choice. (Thise who had a choice, the non-Alawite army officer, they left and formed the Free Syrian Army, because if Assad falls the non-Alawites aren't guarenteed to suffer)