Inside a revered Shiite shrine in a Damascus suburb, which normally welcomes pilgrims from across the region, only a handful of visitors stroll through the massive courtyard, as Islamist rebels control a nearby former pro-government checkpoint. The few visitors in the area cast worried glances at the new guards of the Sayyida Zeinab shrine, long known as a stronghold of pro-Iran fighters including Lebanon's armed group Hezbollah. "We've had several meetings with the new government... They totally reassured us," says the director of the site as Syria's small Shiite community fears being caught in the crosshairs of the new administration. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES