Syrian rebels destroy Shi'ite site, loot churches - HRW

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Rebels in Syria have burned and looted the religious sites of minorities, Human Rights Watch said on Wednesday, as the longest and deadliest of the Arab Spring revolts becomes increasingly sectarian.

The 22-month-old rebellion against President Bashar al-Assad started as a peaceful protest movement but has turned into civil war, pitting mostly Sunni Muslim rebels against a state security and military establishment dominated by Assad's minority Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shi'ite Islam.