Escalating unrest in Syria lays bare new regime’s momentous challenges

Division between minority populations drag Syria further into cycle of violence and attracts Israeli opportunism

Seven months on from Bashar al-Assad's fall, Syria is descending into yet another wave of bloody sectarian violence.

A local dispute between a Bedouin tribesman and a member of the Druze minority sparked clashes that drew in Syrian government forces and triggered Israeli airstrikes - leaving a trail of bodies in their wake.