Syrian state media reported that assailants hurled a grenade into the car of Shiite cleric Farhan al-Mansour on Friday, killing him in the Damascus suburb of Sayyida Zeinab. Mansour was the main preacher at the Sayyida Zeinab shrine, a site that draws tens of thousands of Shiite pilgrims annually.
The state-run SANA news agency and state television said security forces boosted their presence in the southern district and launched an investigation. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.
Sayyida Zeinab, the granddaughter of Prophet Muhammad and daughter of the first Shiite imam Ali, is revered among Shiites as a symbol of steadfastness, patience and courage. The shrine housing her tomb was a flashpoint during Syria’s civil war, when loyalist militias and Iranian-backed fighters clashed with insurgents in the area.
During those years, the Islamic State group repeatedly attacked Shiite pilgrims at the shrine. The group, which adheres to an extreme interpretation of Sunni Islam, regards Shiites as apostates and has claimed responsibility for numerous bombings at Sayyida Zeinab.
The number of visitors has fallen sharply since the collapse of Assad’s government in December 2024, reflecting the broader instability that has followed the end of the regime’s rule.