Mutilated bodies of mother and four children found latest Syrian atrocity Videos posted online showed the bloodied corpse of Farouq al-Saleem, 11, partially wrapped in an orange body bag as his father wept over him. Beside him were the bodies of his mother, brother and two sisters. Their faces and necks had been slashed. The violence between 'Shabiha', often Alawite, and the mostly Sunni Muslim opposition militias has spurred a series of sectarian attacks and reprisals. "Alawite gangs come in after the military raids against Sunni villages that protest against the government," said a reporter from the opposition Hama News Agency. The killing of this family is the sixth case of sectarian killing where people have been found murdered by knives. Though both sides are committing atrocities, the Syrian government remains responsible for most violence, a UN panel said on Friday. Children, including boys as young as 10, said they had been "tortured to admit that older male members of their family are Free Syrian Army soldiers or supporters," the report said. The international community is still putting its weight behind the United Nations monitoring mission, but leaks from Washington suggest there is now a move to assist Gulf states provide arms to the opposition. The regime is under pressure, admitting this week that sanctions have cost the economy $4 billion. It has been forced to deny opposition claims of a string of assassinations of senior regime officials. But Israel claims to have reliable evidence that one attempt came close to success. Government officials, quoted anonymously by the Israeli daily Ha'aretz, said attempts to poison Asef Shawkat, the president's brother-in-law and intelligence chief, and senior ministers had only been foiled by prompt medical attention. Yigal Palmor, a spokesperson for Israel's foreign ministry, said intelligence officers had gathered information "from the public domain," but added: "They have very good reasons to believe that it is credible." As well as Mr Shawkat, Syrian opposition activists said Daoud Rajha, the defence minister, Mohammed al-Shaar, interior minister, Hassan Turkmeni, an aide to the vice-president and Mohammed Said Bakhtian, national secretary of the Baath party, had been targeted. Their food was allegedly poisoned by Mr Bakhtian's bodyguard, who had been "turned." Mr Al-Shaar and Mr Turkmeni have made rare appearances on Syrian TV in recent days, proving they are alive and well, but the others have not been seen since.