Assailants killed Shiite cleric Farhan al-Mansour near the Syrian capital of Damascus by throwing a grenade into his car, Syrian state media reported on Friday.
State news agency SANA and state television said it was not immediately clear who was behind the attack that killed al-Mansour, described as the main preacher at the Sayyida Zeinab shrine in the Damascus suburb of Sayyida Zeinab.
After the killing, SANA and state television said authorities boosted security in the southern suburb and that security forces launched an investigation to find the suspects behind the attack, according to the report.
The Sayyida Zeinab shrine is a major Shiite pilgrimage site. The report said tens of thousands of Shiite Muslims used to visit the shrine, where many believe the granddaughter of Prophet Muhammad is entombed.
The report also said that since the fall of President Bashar Assad’s government in December 2024, the number of visitors to the shrine has dropped sharply.
Syrian state media further described Sayyida Zeinab as a daughter of the first Shiite imam, Ali, and a cousin and son-in-law of Prophet Muhammad, saying she is especially revered among Shiites as a symbol of steadfastness, patience and courage.
It was also the scene of intense clashes during the early years of Syria’s conflict, which broke out in March 2011, according to the report.
The report added that Sayyida Zeinab has been targeted in past attacks on Shiite pilgrims by the Islamic State group, which takes an extreme interpretation of Sunni Islam and considers Shiites to be infidels.