Iranian 'Rumors' Speak of Attempt to Assassinate Assad

Syria's President Bashar al-Assad attends Eid al-Fitr prayers at al-Hassan mosque in Damascus, Syria May 2, 2022. (SANA/Handout via Reuters)
Syria's President Bashar al-Assad attends Eid al-Fitr prayers at al-Hassan mosque in Damascus, Syria May 2, 2022. (SANA/Handout via Reuters)
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Iranian 'Rumors' Speak of Attempt to Assassinate Assad

Syria's President Bashar al-Assad attends Eid al-Fitr prayers at al-Hassan mosque in Damascus, Syria May 2, 2022. (SANA/Handout via Reuters)
Syria's President Bashar al-Assad attends Eid al-Fitr prayers at al-Hassan mosque in Damascus, Syria May 2, 2022. (SANA/Handout via Reuters)

Syrian president Bashar al-Assad was the victim of a failed assassination attempt on Monday, claimed Iranian sources.

The failed attack allegedly took place as he arrived at the al-Hassan mosque in Damascus to perform Eid al-Fitr prayers.

Iran's Mehr and Isna state agencies based their claims on a news alert by Lebanon's al-Manar television, the mouthpiece of the Hezbollah party.

Iran's Tabnak news site reported that Assad had greeted citizens at the mosque and that he appeared in good health.

The Iranian sources said Syrian security sources did not address the details of the attempt on Assad's life.

It noted that he appeared well in the footage that showed him upon his arrival at the mosque and as he greeted the people before the prayer.

Isna later said that al-Manar did not report further about the attack, while Syria's state news agency SANA made no mention of it.

Mehr reported that Syria's al-Watan daily had dismissed the claims of an assassination as a "rumor".

It accused opponents of the regime of manipulating the image that accompanied the news of the attack.

Iran's Tasnim agency noted that al-Manar did not publish a news report about the assassination, while the Syrian opposition did.



Lebanese Authorities Detain People They Say Were Planning Rockets Attacks on Israel

 Lebanese army members gather near a charred car that was hit by an Israeli strike, in the southern coastal town of Ghazieh, Lebanon, Friday, April 18, 2025. (AP)
Lebanese army members gather near a charred car that was hit by an Israeli strike, in the southern coastal town of Ghazieh, Lebanon, Friday, April 18, 2025. (AP)
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Lebanese Authorities Detain People They Say Were Planning Rockets Attacks on Israel

 Lebanese army members gather near a charred car that was hit by an Israeli strike, in the southern coastal town of Ghazieh, Lebanon, Friday, April 18, 2025. (AP)
Lebanese army members gather near a charred car that was hit by an Israeli strike, in the southern coastal town of Ghazieh, Lebanon, Friday, April 18, 2025. (AP)

Lebanese authorities have detained several people who were allegedly planning to launch rockets into Israel and seized the weapons, the military said Sunday.

The army said that the arrests were linked to other detentions announced earlier this week. It added that as military intelligence was investigating that case they got information that a new rocket attack was being planned.

The army said troops raided an apartment near the southern port city of Sidon and seized some of the rockets and the launchers and detained several people who were involved in the operation. It said they were referred to judicial authorities.

Authorities on Wednesday detained several people, including a number of Palestinians, who were allegedly involved in firing rockets toward Israel in two separate attacks in late March that triggered intense Israeli airstrikes on parts of Lebanon. Lebanon’s Hezbollah group denied at the time that it was behind the firing of rockets.

Meanwhile on Sunday, a series of Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon killed two people, the Lebanese Civil Defense said in a statement.  

The Israeli army said in a statement that it killed Hussein Ali Nasr, whom it described as the deputy head of Hezbollah’s Unit 4400. Israel said Nasr helped smuggle weapons and funds into Lebanon via “Iranian operatives,” including through Beirut airport.

Another person was killed after a Lebanese army vehicle was hit by an explosion in circumstances that were unclear, the Lebanese Civil Defense said.

Since a November ceasefire ended a 14-month war between Israel and Hezbollah, Israeli airstrikes have killed scores of people in Lebanon including civilians and Hezbollah members. Israel says it’s targeting Hezbollah holdouts in southern Lebanon.

Hezbollah leader Sheikh Naim Qassem said Friday that its fighters will not disarm as long as Israeli troops remain in southern Lebanon and the Israeli air force regularly violates Lebanese air space.