I gave you an example on how the situation could have arose, having found myself in a similar situation like that a few years ago.

You trying to link the 2 separate situation together in the same post is typical of an ill informed wit.

So there was definitely no fear this time then, no justification whatsoever.

Justified?

They'll have been plenty of fear on both sides.

Just goes to show that having a dictator is a very good way of keeping the country under control. Gaddafi, Hussein and the 1st equation pm who was jailed.

Egyptian

No, it goes to show that removing a dictator is only step 1 and that a political vacuum will suck in all sorts of opportunists chancing it.

I imagine that even if they wanted to disobey orders, they were fully aware of the fate of many syrian troops who refused to fire on civilians.

And from plenty of footage it wasn't just soldiers doing the slaughtering.