Supporters of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad rally on April 1 in Istanbul, Turkey, as delegates from dozens of countries gather to push for ways to end the deadly violence in Syria. The United Nations estimates more than 10,000 people have been killed since the beginning of the crisis in March 2011. The conflict is now being labeled a civil war by the International Committee of the Red Cross. 
Syrians in Damascus protest in the street on March 25, 2011, after clashes with government forces in Daraa left several dead. 
Syrian youths wave national flags while army troops drive out of Daraa on May 5, 2011. During a week-long military lockdown of the town, dozens of people were reportedly killed in what activists described as "indiscriminate" shelling on the city. 
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton speaks to the media in Washington on August 18, 2011. Clinton said U.S. sanctions on Syrian oil "strike at the heart of the Syrian regime." 
Arab foreign ministers attend an emergency meeting at the Arab League headquarters in Cairo on October 16, 2011, to discuss the crisis in Syria. 
A Syrian man who was wounded in a suicide attack rests at a hospital in Damascus on December 23, 2011. Suicide bombers hit two security service bases in the Syrian capital, killing dozens of people. 
A day after the twin suicide bombings, Syrian mourners pray over the coffins of the 44 people killed during a mass funeral in Damascus. 
Syrian refugees walk across a field before crossing into Turkey on March 14. International mediator Kofi Annan called for an immediate halt to the killing of civilians in Syria as he arrived in Turkey for talks on the crisis. 
A Free Syrian Army rebel mounts his steed in the Al-Shatouria village near the Turkish border in northwestern Syria on March 16, a year after the uprising began. The Free Syrian Army is an armed opposition group made up largely of military defectors. 
Syrian rebel fighters man a checkpoint leading into the town of Taftanaz in the rebel stronghold province of Idlib on March 20. 
Thousands of Syrians wave their national flag and hold portraits of President Bashar al-Assad and Lebanon's Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah, right, during a rally to show support for their leader on March 29 in Damascus. 
A U.N. observer speaks with Syrian rebels and civilians in the village of Azzara on May 4, days before the country's parlianemtary polls were held against a backdrop of unrest. 
Members of the Free Syrian Army return to Qusayr on May 12 after an attack on Syrian regime forces in the village of Nizareer, near the Lebanese border in Homs. 
People gather at a mass burial on May 26 for victims reportedly killed during an artillery barrage from Syrian forces in Houla. The attack left at least 108 people dead, including nearly 50 children, according to the United Nations. 
Syria's President Bashar al-Assad waves as he arrives for a speech to Syria's parliament in Damascus on June 3. The embattled president denied that government forces were behind the "outrageous" massacre in Houla. 
A Syrian woman sits with her grandson outside a damaged building after attacks in the Syrian village of Treimsa on July 13. More than 200 people were massacred in the town, according to activists. 
The death toll in Syria on July 12 reached 287, making it the bloodiest day in Syria since the uprising began. As it has done consistently, Syrian state television blamed "armed terrorist groups" for the killings. 
A Syrian demonstrator holds an opposition flag during a protest in Damascus on July 2. There have been increasing reports of violence in the Syrian capital. 
- The past few weeks have seen a flurry of activity regarding the Syrian crisis
- Civil war threatens the country's two largest cities, including the capital of Damascus
- A couple of high-level defections suggest possible cracks in al-Assad's inner circle
- The U.N. Security Council will meet Wednesday to vote on a possible resolution
(CNN) -- Violent clashes between the Syrian military and opposition forces have now made their way into the capital of Damascus.
The U.N. Security Council is weighing a tough resolution that could potentially lead to military intervention in the country.
And high-level defections, along with some economic red flags, suggest that Bashar al-Assad's power might be weakening under international pressure.
But do any of these recent developments mean we're any closer to the end to the Syrian crisis? Or are we looking at more of the stalemate we've seen for the past 16 months?
Civil war in the big city
More than 10,000 people in Syria have been killed since civil unrest began in March 2011, according to the United Nations. Opposition activists say the casualties are closer to 15,000.
For much of the crisis, those casualties have come from smaller areas such as Daraa, Homs and Idlib.
But in the past month, fighting has moved to Syria's two largest cities: Aleppo, the country's economic hub, and Damascus, al-Assad's backyard.
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Fierce fighting in Damascus 
'Massacre' in a Damascus suburb 
Defector to Assad: Have mercy on people "The battle for Damascus is coming," said Abdulhameed Zakaria, a former Syrian army colonel who is now part of the opposition.
Many of al-Assad's supporters live in Damascus and to this point have been able to avoid direct conflict. Newsweek's Janine Di Giovanni recently spent time with some "thriving elites" and described to CNN "a sense of delusion that this isn't going to happen to them."
But with violence now closer to home, will their outlook change? Will it damage al-Assad's support or strengthen it?
"I think that for many people in Syria, there's a great fear of what will happen," Di Giovanni said. "And so even while this elite continue -- or try to continue -- with their lives, most are questioning what will come after this if Assad goes. When he does go, what will become of us? Will we have to go into exile? Will we have to flee to Lebanon or Paris? What will come next?"
What is clear right now is that the conflict is no longer confined to a few restive cities. This is now a civil war, as confirmed this week by the International Committee of the Red Cross.
It's an important distinction, because it now means that the two sides are subject to the Geneva Conventions. Going forward, anyone can be charged if they commit war crimes -- "grave breaches" of the law that include inhumane treatment and torture.
Q&A: Can the Geneva Conventions stop the carnage in Syria?
Two weeks ago, the Syrian government was accused of carrying out "a state policy of torture" in its attempts to quell unrest. The New York-based organization Human Rights Watch issued a report identifying 27 detention centers where prisoners were said to have been tortured.
"At the core, the crisis in Syria is about human rights violations," said Ole Solvang, a Human Rights Watch researcher. "That is what is driving the crisis and driving people to take up arms."
The Syrian government, however, has denied allegations of such abuse. Throughout the conflict, it has described opposition leaders as terrorists looking to destabilize the country.
Worrying signs for the regime?
Two major defections this month have fueled speculation that al-Assad's inner circle might be starting to crack.
Manaf Tlas, a Syrian military commander and son of a former defense minister, left the country to protest the government's brutality, an activist told CNN.
Days later, a high-level diplomat, Nawaf al-Fares, abandoned his post as ambassador to Iraq.
"I was at the top of the Syrian regime," al-Fares said. "But what happened in the last year during the holy revolution, all of the killing, the massacres, the refugees, and the declaration of war by Bashar al-Assad against the Syrian people, stopped any kind of hope for reform or real change. ...
"I tried during the last year and a half to convince the regime to change its treatment of the people. But I wasn't successful, so I decided to join the people."
Both Tlas and al-Fares are Sunnis, not Alawites like al-Assad. "But if the increasing number of top-level defections is a signal that the Sunni elite, which is comprised of generals, businessmen, bureaucrats and which has so far stuck with al-Assad, is now moving away from him, that's a huge shift -- and one that will ultimately bring down the regime," said CNN's Fareed Zakaria.
Global Public Square: Pressure valve off in al-Assad's Syria
Zakaria also said Syria's economy is a major concern for the regime. Western sanctions have significantly cut off Syria's oil revenue, 90% of which used to go to the European Union. Inflation has also been reported at 30%.
"Tourism and trade have, of course, plummeted," Zakaria said. "And monetary support from Iran cannot be counted on indefinitely. Tehran itself is buckling under unprecedented sanctions."
Although the United States and many of its Western allies have issued sanctions against Syria, strongly condemning al-Assad and demanding that he leave power, they have not been able to persuade the U.N. Security Council to do the same. China and Russia -- two of Syria's commercial partners -- have vetoed all proposed resolutions on Syria to this point.
In the meantime, we've seen the failure of a six-point peace plan proposed by former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan. A U.N. observer mission was suspended last month because of the heavy violence. And every week, a new horrific story seems to surface, such as the reported massacres in Tremseh and Douma.
Dark images of horror and despair smuggled out of Syria
The council is now considering a new resolution that would impose sanctions if Syria doesn't comply with Annan's peace plan and withdraw its troops and weapons from major cities. The resolution, under Chapter 7 of the U.N. Charter, would also give the council the potential to authorize military action if necessary, something that doesn't sit well with China and Russia. Discussions are continuing, and a vote is scheduled for Wednesday.
"Our experience of the past year makes it absolutely clear that the Assad regime will not do anything without further pressure," U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said during a recent visit to Cambodia.
Al-Fares, the diplomat who defected, believes there's only one way this conflict can end.
"I support military intervention because I know the nature of this regime," he told CNN's Ivan Watson. "This regime will only go by force."
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