Eight Members of Pro-Iran Militia Killed in Syria’s Mayadeen

A staff member sets up the Iranian flag atop a new consular annex to Iran's embassy in Damascus on its inauguration day on April 8, 2024. (AFP)
A staff member sets up the Iranian flag atop a new consular annex to Iran's embassy in Damascus on its inauguration day on April 8, 2024. (AFP)
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Eight Members of Pro-Iran Militia Killed in Syria’s Mayadeen

A staff member sets up the Iranian flag atop a new consular annex to Iran's embassy in Damascus on its inauguration day on April 8, 2024. (AFP)
A staff member sets up the Iranian flag atop a new consular annex to Iran's embassy in Damascus on its inauguration day on April 8, 2024. (AFP)

Eight members of a pro-Iran militia were killed by unknown assailants in Syria’s al-Mayadeen city in the Deir Ezzor region.

The assailants attacked the headquarters of the “Syrian Revolutionary Guards” militia that is affiliated with Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps, butchering their victims with knives.

Security and military forces in the region went on high alert in wake of the attack, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

This was the second attack of its kind in less than 48 hours in Deir Ezzor, the so-called “capital of Iranian militias in Syria.”

Earlier, three Syrian members of the Revolutionary Guards were killed by unknown gunmen in an attack on their military position on the outskirts al-Mayadeen.

Naher Media said the victims were killed by ISIS.

A man in his 50s was killed by a stray bullet fired by mourners during the funeral of the three victims, who hail from the predominantly Shiite town of Hatla.

The town is one of seven located east of the Euphrates River in Deir Ezzor where extremists have thrived.

In 2013, a massacre was committed in the area against mostly Shiite gunmen. Around 60 people were killed.



Israeli Strike Hits Civilian Sites Near Damascus, Syrian Ministry Says

People gather near a damaged building after, according to Syrian state media reports, several Israeli missiles hit a residential building in the Kafr Sousa district, Damascus, Syria February 21, 2024. (Reuters)
People gather near a damaged building after, according to Syrian state media reports, several Israeli missiles hit a residential building in the Kafr Sousa district, Damascus, Syria February 21, 2024. (Reuters)
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Israeli Strike Hits Civilian Sites Near Damascus, Syrian Ministry Says

People gather near a damaged building after, according to Syrian state media reports, several Israeli missiles hit a residential building in the Kafr Sousa district, Damascus, Syria February 21, 2024. (Reuters)
People gather near a damaged building after, according to Syrian state media reports, several Israeli missiles hit a residential building in the Kafr Sousa district, Damascus, Syria February 21, 2024. (Reuters)

An Israeli strike from the direction of the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights targeted civilian sites south of the Syrian capital Damascus, causing some damage, Syria's defense ministry said on Monday.

Earlier, Syrian state media SANA said that initial reports indicated the strike hit the Sayeda Zeinab area. There were no immediate reports of casualties.

The Israeli military did not comment on the strike.

Sayeda Zeinab, a stronghold of the Iran-backed Lebanese armed group Hezbollah and site of a major Shiite shrine, has been targeted in previous strikes.

Syrian and Western intelligence sources say Israeli attacks in Syria have killed numerous Hezbollah and pro-Iranian militia fighters based around the eastern outskirts of Damascus and to the south of the city.

The sources say the neighborhood remains a target due to the presence of high-ranking militia leaders.

Israel has been carrying out strikes against Iran-linked targets in Syria for years. It has ramped up strikes since the Oct. 7, 2023 attack by armed group Hamas on Israel and particularly since the recent escalation of the Israel-Hezbollah conflict.