I agree. Remember, the Syrian Army has been busy in fighting other wars since 1973 such as in Lebanese Civil War (against Lebanese militias, the PLO and Israel)and in the 1982 Lebanon war. So they have a well seasoned army.
This does not include the the Hama massacre of 1982, which has been described as “the single deadliest act by any Arab government against its own people in the modern Middle East”; as well as others such as the Tadmor Prison massacre, the Siege of Aleppo, Tel al-Zaatar massacre and the October 13 massacre.