The world failed to save Syria. Now its people must be freetochart their own path | Simon Tisdall

Self-serving meddling by Israel, Turkey and other foreign powers puts the revolution at risk. They should back off now

United in duplicity, if nothing else, Russia, Iran, Turkey and the US - key external players in Syria's long-running drama - all agreed. The country's sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity" must be respected and maintained, each separately declared last week after Bashar al-Assad's sudden, welcome downfall.

Even Israel, recklessly bombing Syria to blazes in the Jewish state's largest ever military operation, denied it was interfering in the country's internal affairs. Such cynicism is breathtaking. Like ravening wolves, supposed friends and neighbours tug at the still twitching corpse of the deposed regime. Unchecked, they could tear Syria apart, again.