The Islamic State group claimed responsibility on Thursday, May 7, for killing a preacher in Sayyida Zeinab (Rif Dimashq Governorate, south of Damascus), in an attack that took place last week, while the Syrian government condemned the operation and described it as targeting the “unity of Syrians.”
The group said in a statement published by its newspaper, al-Naba, issue No. 546, on Thursday, May 7, that its members detonated a sticky bomb inside Farhan Hassan Mansour’s car on Friday, May 1, after he left the Sayyida Zeinab shrine south of Damascus, killing him and damaging his vehicle, according to the group.
Statement Targets Shiites and Syrian Government
In its statement, the group blamed Shiites and the Syrian government for what it described as Syrians’ “suffering,” claiming that what it called “Rafidite militias” and fatwas by Shiite clerics caused suffering among Syrians during the rule of the former regime.
The group said the shrine in the Sayyida Zeinab area is under “strict protection and surveillance” by the Syrian government, which condemned the attack and described it as an attempt “to undermine the unity of Syrians.”
Government Condemnation and Calls for Accountability
After the assassination, the Syrian government quickly condemned the attack. The Interior Ministry issued a statement on May 1 through its official accounts, describing the incident as a “heinous crime” and affirming that it “will not pass without accountability.”
The Syrian Interior Ministry pledged to pursue those responsible for the assassination, noting that the incident comes as part of a series of systematic attempts aimed at destabilizing security and stability, spreading chaos, and undermining civil peace.
The ministry said in the statement that the assassination of the preacher at the Sayyida Zeinab shrine “comes within the context of this dangerous escalatory path, which falls within the framework of targeting religious and social symbols to incite sedition and undermine the state of societal stability.”
The statement stressed that this crime would not pass without accountability, noting that the competent authorities had begun their investigations to uncover its circumstances and identify the perpetrators and those behind them, in preparation for taking the necessary legal measures against them.
The ministry affirmed its full commitment to protecting citizens, safeguarding public security, and firmly confronting any attempts targeting the country’s stability.
In the same context, the Ministry of Endowments condemned the attack, considering it “an act that affects the security and stability of society” and targets “undermining the unity of Syrians and destabilizing the social fabric.”
The ministry renewed its full support for the efforts of the Internal Security Forces to pursue the perpetrators and uncover the circumstances of the incident, stressing the need to bring those involved to justice so they receive their punishment under the law.
Previous Bombing Attempt Thwarted
The General Intelligence Service had previously announced that it thwarted an attempted bombing inside the Sayyida Zeinab shrine in the Syrian capital, Damascus.
The Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) reported on January 11, 2025, citing an unnamed source in the General Intelligence Service, that authorities had succeeded in thwarting an attempted bombing inside the Sayyida Zeinab shrine.
The source at the time accused the Islamic State group of being behind the planning of the bombing.
SANA added, citing the same source, that the operation resulted in the arrest of those involved in the attempt, describing the attempted bombing as “a major criminal act targeting the Syrian people.”
The source affirmed that the General Intelligence Service “places all its capabilities at the disposal of confronting all attempts to target the Syrian people in all their components.”
The Interior Ministry at the time published photos showing members of the cell that security forces had managed to arrest.
In a separate post, the ministry said the General Intelligence Service, through the department tasked with combating the Islamic State group and in cooperation with the Public Security Directorate in Rif Dimashq, had succeeded in thwarting the group’s attempt to carry out a bombing inside the Sayyida Zeinab shrine.
It noted that the operation led to the arrest of those involved in planning the attack.
The ministry said at the time that the Public Security Directorate, in coordination with the Intelligence Service, had managed to detect a car bomb heading toward Aleppo and dismantle it.
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