A video uploaded to the internet Saturday demonstrates the extent to which the Syrian civil war has turned into a merciless religious war between the largely Sunni Muslim populace and the Alawite minority regime, supported by Shiite Iran and Hizbullah.

The video shows the demolition of a Shiite mosque by rebel forces affiliated with Al Qaeda.

The recent fall of Al Qusayr to the forces of President Bashar Assad and Hizbullah has strengthened the determination of the Sunni rebels to exact revenge against the Shiites. Syrian reports told of a massacre of Shiites in a village in western Syria, about a week ago.

The mosque that was demolished was located in Deir al-Zor, in eastern Syria. Fighters from Jabhat al-Nusra, which identifies with Al Qaeda, took control of the mosque. They attached large amounts of explosives to its foundations and blew it up.

The person speaking in the video explains that the operation is revenge for the conquest of Al Qusayr.