sectarian prejudice against `Alawites in New York Times: more on the adventures of Damien Cave in Beirut

More on the adventures of a former Rolling Stone reporter who found himself (over his head) in Beirut:  "after five days of extended gun battles between Lebanese Sunnis and Alawites loyal to Syria’s president, Bashar al-Assad."  Look at this sentence.  Notice that it only refer to `Alawites as "loyal to Syria's president, Bashshar Al-Asad.  Let us assume that Damien Cave, who knows no Arabic, did conduct a survey among Lebanese `Alawites and found out that 100% of them expressed loyalty to Bashshar Al-Asad.  But the question is this: why did he not throw a label or adjective on the Sunnis?  Why did he not say: "Sunnis loyal to Saudi Arabia's king, Abdullah"?  Why not? Certainly, the Saudi King gives more financial and military support to Sunnis in Lebanon than Bashshar gives to Lebanon's `Alawites.