Syria denies responsibility for massacre: Could it be Army Units acting unilaterally?

If the Syrian government story were true then that government has lost control of its territory -- the closest to reality the story may be is the government is splitting and the attacks were made by army units acting unilaterally:

http://m.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/outrage-grows-as-syria-denies-responsibility-for-massacre/article2444549/?service=mobile

The Syrian government denied Sunday its troops were behind an attack on a string of villages that left more than 90 people dead, blaming the killings on "hundreds of heavily-armed gunmen" who also attacked soldiers in the area.
Friday's assault on Houla, an area northwest of the central city of Homs, was one of the bloodiest single events in Syria's 15-month-old uprising. The UN says at least 32 children under 10 were among the dead.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Jihad Makdissi told reporters in Damascus at a news conference that Syria is being subjected to a "tsunami of lies" on Houla. "We categorically deny the responsibility of government forces for the massacre," Mr. Makdissi said.