by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Correspondent

(Worthy News) – Explosions occurred near Damascus at a prominent Shiite sanctuary guarded by Iranian-backed groups, including Hezbollah, with Syrian state media attributing the strikes to Israel.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based war monitor, reported at least three strikes in the Sayyeda Zeinab area located 6 miles south of Damascus, targeting a house “used by members of Hezbollah and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard” located on a farm.

“At approximately 5:18 pm (14:15 GMT), the Israeli enemy launched an air aggression from the direction of the occupied Golan Heights, targeting a number of civilian sites south of Damascus, which led to some material losses,” the official Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) news agency reported, offering no further details. Syrian radio added that three sites were targeted in the attack.

Israeli authorities rarely comment on the strikes within Syria, but have consistently stated they will not permit arch-enemy Iran to expand its presence in Syria.

Sayyeda Zeinab holds significance due to a shrine believed by Twelver Shī‘a Muslims to be the true burial site of Zaynab, a granddaughter of Muhammad, the founder of Islam.

Sayyidah Zaynab is a major pilgrimage site for Shī‘a Muslims and a significant center of Shī‘i learning. During the Iran–Iraq War in the 1980s and the 1990s, pilgrimage to Sayyidah Zaynab increased as access to Iraqi Shī‘a shrines was limited. By 2011, around 1 million visitors traveled annually to the town, many seeking healing at the shrine.

Twelver Shīʿism, the largest branch of Shīʿa Islam, makes up about 85% of Shīʿas. “Twelver” signifies belief in twelve divinely appointed leaders, the Twelve Imams, with the last, Imam al-Mahdi, expected to return as the Mahdi. Twelvers see the Imams as Muhammad’s spiritual and political successors, guiding with justice and interpreting Islamic law and the Qur’an’s inner meanings. They are viewed as infallible (Ismah) and divinely chosen (nass). Iran is the only country where Twelver Shi’ism is the state religion.

The Twelvers’ believe that the Mahdi is expected to appear in times of extreme chaos, returning alongside Jesus as a messiah to bring peace and establish Islam globally.

Twelver beliefs, Iran’s nuclear ambitions, and threats toward Israel and the West have raised concerns. Critics suggest that Iran’s Supreme Leader might incite conflict to hasten the 12th Imam’s arrival. Former Iranian President Ahmadinejad has even called for the Imam’s return at the UN, asserting that the Islamic Revolution’s primary goal is to prepare for his reappearance.

Copyright 1999-2024 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.

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