The European Union is to extend sanctions on the Syrian government over a brutal crackdown on protesters in which upwards of 3,500 have been killed.
Syria was suspended from the Arab League on Saturday in response to the deaths of civilians, and on Monday European leaders met to discuss further measures targeted at the regime of Bashar al-Assad. In an interview with the BBC, King Abdullah of Jordan also called for the Syrian president to step aside.
Pro-government protesters backing the incumbent leader attacked the embassies of Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Qatar on the weekend, prompting international censure for a violation of the Vienna convention.
The EU's measures should see Syria denied access to funds from the European Investment Bank, which has been investing in infrastructure and other development projects in the country. Syrian organisations linked to the regime have had their assets frozen, and travel bans have been placed on a further 18 individuals, taking the total number to 74.
The escalation of international pressure could create fissures in a regime that relies on a delicate balance of power between military and economic elites, Ayham Kamel, Middle East analyst at Eurasia Group said. The suspension by the Arab League is a bold political step that will have considerable significance in Syria, which is a founding member of the group and sees itself as being at the vanguard of Arabism.
As Arab leaders line up against Assad, the pressure within the regime is likely to increase, Kamel said.
"There is no single issue that is more symbolic to the Syrian leadership than membership in the League… In the next few weeks, Western and Arab efforts will focus on intensifying pressure on the regime to cause a split in the military and political structure and convince the affluent business community in Damascus and Aleppo to break with the regime. This marks the beginning of a unified Arab attempt to find an alternative to the Assad regime," he said.
Analysts said that the Syrian opposition has increasingly become militarised, leading to a real possibility of a civil war in the country. Army defectors and civilians have taken up arms under the banner of the "Free Syrian Army".
A recent report from the political risk consultancy Exclusive Analysis warned that there was the potential for sectarian violence, and noted that Iraq-style tactics, including the use of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) had been deployed.