WANA (Dec 08) – Iranian officials announced that all personnel involved in the restoration of the shrine of Hazrat Zainab (SA) in Syria have safely returned to Iran.

 

According to the Public Relations Office of the Headquarters for the Reconstruction of Holy Shrines, Majid Namjou, the Deputy Head of the organization, stated that last week, ahead of the entry of armed groups into Damascus, all Iranian restoration workers and volunteers left the Sayyidah Zainab (SA) area. “Currently, there are no Iranian workers present in the region,” Namjou confirmed.

 

Namjou also mentioned that some individuals had exploited the insecurity in Damascus and attacked the offices and warehouses of the organization around the shrine of Hazrat Zainab (SA). He added that these attacks resulted in damage to the organization’s property and offices, though armed groups have denied any involvement in the incidents.

 

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei also reassured that Iranian diplomats in Damascus are safe. “All embassy staff were evacuated from the premises before the arrival of members of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham,” he stated.

 

The armed opposition to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has intensified its advances. Following a series of offensives starting in Aleppo, extending to Hama, and culminating in Homs, the rebels launched a southward march toward Damascus on Saturday. By Sunday morning, December 8, 2024, the opposition forces had captured Damascus, leading to the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s government.