ISIS Takes Credit For Attack On Shiite Shrine Near Damascus
ISIS Claims Responsibility For Attack On Shrine Near Damascus
The Sunni militant group ISIS has claimed responsibility for a deadly bombing that occurred south of the Syrian capital Damascus near a Shiite Shrine on Thursday.
The attack targeted the Sayeda Zeinab mausoleum, the country's most visited Shia pilgrimage site, killing at least seven people and injuring many more.
In a statement released on the Telegram, ISIS asserted that its members were able to breach the tight security measures imposed by the Syrian regime and militias guarding the mausoleum area. The group claimed that they successfully carried out the attack by parking and detonating a motorcycle bomb amidst a gathering of Shia pilgrims, who were assembling to commemorate the annual Shia Ashura ceremony.
"The attack on the Sayeda Zeinab mausoleum was executed by our dedicated fighters, who managed to bypass the security measures and strike a blow against the Shia pilgrims," the ISIS statement read. In the past, ISIS has targeted Shias across the Middle East.
In their communication on Friday, ISIS further asserted responsibility for a separate bombing targeting a bus carrying Shia pilgrims in the same area. According to their claim, at least two individuals were wounded, and the vehicle was destroyed.
Officials from the Islamic Republic confirmed that no Iranian pilgrims were among the casualties. The Sayyida Zaynab shrine, a site of great religious importance, has been safeguarded during the Syrian war by Shia militias, notably supported by Lebanon's Hezbollah and other militia forces, in cooperation with the Syrian army. Iran has justified its involvement in the Syrian conflict by citing the protection of holy sites as one of its primary objectives, supporting President Bashar Al-Assad's regime in the process.
Amid joint efforts by Washington and Baghdad against Iran’s illicit financial activities in Iraq, a Tehran-backed militia group threatened US forces in Iraq.
The Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba group, a part of Iran-backed Shiite militia Hashd al-Shaabi – also known as Popular Mobilization Forces – warned of consequences to the US military presence and its dominance over Iraq's oil sector and its economy.
Akram al-Kaabi, Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba's leader – a US-designated terrorist who is regarded as one of the main operatives of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards' Quds Force in Iraq – said, “this is the last warning” to Americans who have flooded the country with ongoing political and economic crises. “We have repeatedly warned about the US interference in the country’s internal affairs and provoking strife,” he said.
The leader of the group -- unofficially operated by the IRGC's Quds Force that provides funding, weapons, and training to its members – added that if the US forces do not leave Iraq and Washington does not stop “blatant interference and evil in our country, there will be broad and decisive measures by the heroes of Iraq who did not and will not accept humiliation and indignity.”
The remarks came in a statement on Wednesday after 14 Iraqi private banks sanctioned by Washington over helping to siphon US dollars to Iran said they were ready to challenge the measures and face audits and called on Iraqi authorities to provide assistance.
Akram al-Kaabi, the leader of Iran-backed Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba's militia group
US financial authorities last week barred the Iraqi banks from conducting dollar transactions as part of a wider crackdown on dollar smuggling to Iran via the Iraqi banking system. The latest sanctions, along with earlier sanctions against eight banks, have left nearly a third of Iraq's 72 banks blacklisted, two Iraqi central bank officials said.
Haider al-Shamma, speaking on behalf of the 14 sanctioned banks, said on Wednesday the sanctions could further weaken Iraq's currency, which has fallen from under 1,500 dinars per US dollar last week to 1,580 as of Wednesday.
The dinar tailspin against the dollar has worsened since the New York Federal Reserve imposed tighter controls on international dollar transactions by commercial Iraqi banks in November to halt the illegal siphoning of dollars to Iran.
Iraq's central bank says the dinar's depreciation is also tied to merchants, including some undertaking illegitimate financial transactions, sourcing currency from the black market rather than the official platform. Under the curbs that took effect in January, Iraqi banks must use an online platform to reveal their transaction details. But most private banks have not registered on the platform and resorted to informal black markets in Baghdad to buy dollars.
This financial network is bypassing the US sanctions at the cost of the Iraqi economy. An informed source in Baghdad told Iran International late in December that Washington has received reports that Iraq is still conducting trade with Iran using US dollars despite sanctions.
The Israel air force chief has said its country's enemies might exploit the political crisis triggered by an overhaul of the judiciary, seeing it as an opportunity.
Major-General Tomer Bar said his forces needed to remain "vigilant and prepared" after parliament Monday passed the first of Netanyahu's widely contested changes, removing the Supreme Court's authority to void what it deems "unreasonable" decisions by government and ministers.
"It is possible that at a time like this they (Israel's enemies) will try to test the frontiers, our cohesion and our alertness," Bar said in an address to his forces, according to a statement released on Friday. He did not elaborate.
Reuters reported this week that Iran’s IRGC and security officials held a three-hour meeting last week with the Lebanese Hezbollah and Palestinian Hamas to see how they can take advantage of Israel’s internal problems.
The overhaul pursued by Netanyahu and his right-wing government has sparked a seven-month crisis, spurring unprecedented protests, opening up a deep social divide and shaking the commitment to call-up duty of some army reservists.
Protesters attend a demonstration against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his nationalist coalition government's judicial overhaul, days after a parliament vote on a contested bill that limits the Supreme Court's powers to void some government decisions, in Tel Aviv, Israel July 27, 2023.
As the crisis escalated following Monday's vote, Israel's Ynet news said Netanyahu received at least four letters from Military Intelligence warning of serious security ramifications arising from the judicial overhaul.
According to the report, senior intelligence officials said Israel's enemies, particularly Iran and its heavily armed proxy in Lebanon, Hezbollah, view the crisis as a historic low point in the country's history.
A spokesperson for the prime minister declined comment.
Iranian government media and those of his proxies have been highlighting Israel’s political crisis, claiming that end of the Jewish state is near.
A poll conducted by Maariv, one of Israel's leading newspapers, found that 58 percent of Israelis feared civil war, and 36 percent thought the right thing to do is for government to stop the judiciary legislation immediately, compared to 22 percent who said it should be promoted unilaterally.
Protesters say growing numbers of military reservists have decided to stop serving to express their opposition to the overhaul. The military has acknowledged an increase in requests to abstain from service, and said that damage would be done, gradually, to war-readiness if the no-shows proved protracted.
Netanyahu has argued that the change made this week is “a minor” issue and it is “silly” to say Israel will no longer be a democracy.
Protesters attend a demonstration against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his nationalist coalition government's judicial overhaul, days after a parliament vote on a contested bill that limits the Supreme Court's powers to void some government decisions, in Tel Aviv, Israel July 27, 2023.
Political watchdog groups have appealed to the Supreme Court to strike down the new law, paving the way to a showdown among branches of government when it hears the arguments in September.
The legal tussle could begin next Thursday when the top court will hear an appeal against a coalition bill ratified in March that limited conditions for removing the prime minister from office.
Israel's democratic foundations are relatively fragile, and the Supreme Court is seen as crucial for protecting civil rights and the rule of law. The country has no constitution, the government holds a 64-56 majority in the one-chamber Knesset and the president's office is ceremonial.
Netanyahu says the changes will balance government branches. He casts the protests as a bid to thwart his democratic mandate.
His plans have hit the economy, triggering foreign investor flight. Deepening domestic political uncertainty will reduce economic growth this year, S&P Global Ratings said in a report.
The judicial reform drive, along with an expansion of Jewish settlements on occupied land where Palestinians seek to establish a state, have also weighed on relations with Israel's most important ally the United States.
As the death toll from an explosion outside a Shiite shrine near Damascus reached seven, Islamic Republic officials confirm that no Iranian pilgrim was killed.
A bomb planted in a motorcycle exploded outside the Sayyida Zaynab (Sayeda Zeinab) shrine south of the Syrian capital Damascus on Thursday immediately killing six people and wounding several others, one of whom later died.
The Syrian authorities have classified the incident, which took place a day before the holy Day of Ashura, as a "terrorist attack," saying an investigation is currently underway.
The shrine of Sayeda Zeinab, who was the granddaughter of the Prophet Muhammad holds immense significance for the Shiite community, drawing pilgrims from various parts of the world.
Hamidreza Mohammadi, Deputy Head of Iran’s Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization, reaffirmed on Friday that Iranian pilgrims remained unharmed during the incident. Nasser Kanaani, Iran’s Foreign Ministry Spokesman, condemned the attack, referring to it as a "terrorist" act.
Sayyida Zaynab's shrine has been safeguarded throughout the Syrian war by Shia militias, most notably supported by Lebanon's Hezbollah and militia forces, in collaboration with the Syrian army. Iran has cited the protection of holy sites as a rationale for its involvement in the Syrian conflict, aiding in the defense of President Bashar Al-Assad's regime.
Historically, the area around the Sayyida Zaynab shrine has been targeted by the Islamic State group (ISIS), which has claimed responsibility for previous deadly attacks and explosions in the vicinity. No individual or group has claimed responsibility for this act.
In the aftermath of the Quran burning in Sweden, an Iranian cleric has proposed that the Swedish embassy should be transformed into a Quran teaching center.
During a speech on Thursday, Hassan Akbari, the Supreme Leader's representative in Qom province's IRGC, urged high-ranking officials in Iran to protest against the insulting act and its support by Western governments by closing the Swedish embassy in Tehran and turning it into a center for Quran teaching.
He also expressed strong condemnation and called for decisive actions from the judiciary and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs against such acts.
The Quran burning incident in Sweden garnered international condemnation, prompting Iran's Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, to call for the perpetrator to face the severest punishment. Khamenei claimed last week that his stance is supported unanimously by all Muslim clerics.
In a statement addressing the incident, he urged the Swedish government to hand over the culprit to the judicial authorities of Muslim countries for appropriate legal action.
The perpetrator, identified as Salwan Momika, an Iraqi immigrant, burned the Quran in front of the central mosque in Stockholm on the first day of Eid al-Adha, after obtaining a permit from the Swedish government. He repeated the desecration in front of the Iraqi embassy in Stockholm on July 20.
Sweden has expressed concerns about the consequences of more events to burn the Quran amid growing anger by the Muslim population.
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said on Thursday that he is "extremely worried" that more demonstrations go ahead in which the Quran is desecrated, further outraging Muslims who have been fuming over a series of attacks on Islam's holy book in Sweden and Denmark.
The incident involved Salwan Momika, an Iraqi immigrant, who burned pages from the Quran in front of the central mosque in Stockholm on the first day of Eid al-Adha late in June, after obtaining a permit from a Swedish court. Some 200 onlookers witnessed him tearing up a copy of the Quran and wiping his shoes with the pages. He then put bacon on the book and set it on fire whilst another protestor addressed the crowds with a megaphone. Momika repeated the desecration in front of the Iraqi embassy in Stockholm on July 20. The following day, in neighboring Denmark, members of the far-right nationalist group "Danske Patrioter (Danish Patriots)" burned a copy of the Quran in front of Iraq's Embassy in Copenhagen.
Kristersson told Swedish news agency TT that further requests had been filed with police for permission to hold protests where desecration of the Quran was again planned.
Sweden Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson attends a meeting of the North Atlantic Council during a NATO leaders summit in Vilnius, Lithuania July 12, 2023.
"If they are granted, we are going to face some days where there is a clear risk of something serious happening. I am extremely worried about what it could lead to," he said, adding that the decision whether to grant permission for the demonstrations was up to the police.
Sweden's embassy in Baghdad was stormed and set ablaze on July 20 by protesters and Stockholm’s envoys in several countries, including Iran, have been summoned. Iran has announced that it will not accept a Swedish ambassador and has no plans to send a new ambassador to Sweden.
Sweden's security service, SAPO, has kept its assessment of the threat level at 3 on a scale of 5, signifying an "elevated threat" during the crisis. Charlotte von Essen, the head of the Swedish Security Service, told reporters on Thursday, "Sweden has gone from being seen as a tolerant country to being seen as an anti-Islamic land."
People demonstrate against the desecration of the Koran in Denmark, in Sanaa, Yemen July 24, 2023.
On Tuesday, the UN General Assembly passed a Morocco-drafted resolution, deploring ''all acts of violence against persons on the basis of their religion or belief, as well as any such acts directed against their religious symbols, holy books, homes, businesses, properties, schools, cultural centers or places of worship, as well as all attacks on and in religious places, sites and shrines in violation of international law.''
On July 12, the Geneva-based UN Human Rights Council also passed a motion to condemn the burning of Quran despite nay votes by Western countries, which said it conflicts with their positions on human rights and freedom of expression.
Denmark and Sweden have said they deplore the burning of the Quran but cannot prevent it under rules protecting free speech.
The Swedish government is caught between rock and hard place to balance defending far-reaching freedom of speech laws, while at the same time avoiding potential insult to Muslims.
Also on Thursday, Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom said, "These are acts committed by individuals, but they do it within the framework of freedom of speech laws. In some countries there is a perception that the Swedish state is behind or condone this.”
Members of the anti-immigration Sweden Democrats, the biggest party on the right, have repeatedly warned about the "Islamization" of Swedish society and called for immigrants to adopt "Swedish" values.
