Syria's opposition movement is in disarray as the newly re-elected head of the main exile coalition has offered to resign amid criticism of his leadership and infighting that has plagued groups trying to oust President Bashar al-Assad.

Syrian National Council chief Burhan Ghalioun said Thursday he does not want to be a cause of division and will step down as soon as a replacement is chosen for the opposition grouping through consensus or election.

The Paris-based secular academic has served as SNC leader since its formation last year and was elected to another three-month term by a majority of SNC members who attended a meeting in Rome on Tuesday.

Analysts say the rift highlights one of the major shortcomings of the Syrian opposition movement: a continued lack of unity in its battle to oust the Assad government.

Ghalioun promised to continue serving the revolution as an SNC member following his resignation as leader. Earlier in the day, a faction within the SNC threatened to quit unless the organization restructures itself.

The Local Coordination Committees accused SNC leaders failing to cooperate with revolutionaries inside Syria and marginalizing young members of the organization. The LCC is an activist network whose members are mostly Syria-based.

Western and Arab nations supporting the Syrian uprising against Mr. Assad have long urged the SNC to heal its divisions and present a credible alternative to the Assad government.

But a series of prominent dissidents have quit the SNC in recent months, some complaining that Islamists hold too much influence over the group.

The Local Coordination Committees representative to the SNC told VOA that Ghalioun's offer to resign is a “step in the right direction” of reforming the opposition coalition.

Speaking to VOA by phone from Berlin, Hozan Ibrahim said the SNC also should channel more money to youths and revolutionaries engaged in relief work and protests inside Syria.

Ibrahim said the LCC suspended its involvement in SNC meetings last month and will withdraw completely if reforms are not implemented. But, he downplayed the significance of such a move, saying the LCC has a limited interest in politics and could still support the organization from the outside.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported new attacks by the Syrian government on Thursday. The group told VOA that government forces fired at least 30 shells into the rebel-held town of Rastan, north of Homs, during a 10-minute-long attack just after midnight.

Syrian President Assad suggested on Wednesday in a rare television interview that he has little intention of ending his deadly 14-month crackdown on dissent. He told a Russian television station that his government is fighting foreign-backed terrorists – not democracy activists.

“It's not an army, first of all, and it's not free because they get their arms from different foreign countries. That's why they're not free at all. They are a bunch of criminals who have been violating the law for years and have been sentenced in various criminal cases. They are religious extremists like those from al-Qaida.”

The United Nations says more than 9,000 people have been killed in violence related to the anti-government uprising that erupted more than a year ago.