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Shiite cleric killed in grenade attack near Syrian capital of Damascus
Security forces are investigating the attack, which state media said killed the shrine’s main preacher and raised fears for Syria’s Shiite minority.
- Assailants killed Shiite cleric Farhan Mansour on Friday near Damascus by hurling a grenade into his car in the suburb of Sayyida Zeinab, state media reported.
- Sayyida Zeinab Shrine holds immense religious significance as the entombment site of Zeinab, granddaughter of Prophet Muhammad and daughter of Ali, the first Shiite imam.
- The area was the scene of intense clashes during Syria's early conflict years and has endured past attacks on Shiite pilgrims by the Islamic State, which follows an extreme interpretation of Sunni Islam.
- Authorities boosted security in the Damascus suburb and launched an investigation to identify suspects behind the attack, state news agency SANA reported.
- Tens of thousands of Shiite Muslims once visited the shrine regularly, though pilgrim numbers dropped sharply since the fall of President Bashar Assad's government in December 2024.
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Syrian ministry condemns killing of Shia imam near Damascus
Syria’s Ministry of Religious Endowments on Friday condemned the killing of a Shia Muslim preacher in an explosion near Damascus, saying the attack poses a threat to the country’s stability. Imam Farhan Hassan al-Mansour, who served at Syria's revered Sayyida Zeinab shrine in Damascus' southern suburbs, was killed in a bomb blast on Friday, state media reported, while it remains unclear who was behind the attack. In a statement posted on Faceboo…
·London, United Kingdom
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Coverage Details
Total News Sources21
Leaning Left6Leaning Right4Center4Last UpdatedBias Distribution43% Left
Bias Distribution
- 43% of the sources lean Left
43% Left
L 43%
C 29%
R 28%
Factuality
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