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.



Syria’s New Foreign Minister Tells Iran Not to Spread Chaos in Syria

A Syrian boy walks past a defaced portrait of the toppled Syrian president Bashar al-Assad in the town of Yafour near Damascus on December 23, 2024. (AFP)
A Syrian boy walks past a defaced portrait of the toppled Syrian president Bashar al-Assad in the town of Yafour near Damascus on December 23, 2024. (AFP)
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Syria’s New Foreign Minister Tells Iran Not to Spread Chaos in Syria

A Syrian boy walks past a defaced portrait of the toppled Syrian president Bashar al-Assad in the town of Yafour near Damascus on December 23, 2024. (AFP)
A Syrian boy walks past a defaced portrait of the toppled Syrian president Bashar al-Assad in the town of Yafour near Damascus on December 23, 2024. (AFP)

Syria's newly appointed foreign minister, Asaad Hassan al-Shibani, told Iran on Tuesday not to spread chaos in Syria but to respect the Syrian people's will and the country's sovereignty.

In a post on X, Shibani said: "Iran must respect the will of the Syrian people and the country's sovereignty and security. We warn them from spreading chaos in Syria and we hold them accountable for the repercussions of the latest remarks."

He did not specify the remarks he was referring to.

In a televised speech on Sunday, Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei called on Syrian youth to "stand with firm determination against those who have orchestrated and brought about this insecurity".

"We predict that a strong and honorable group will also emerge in Syria because today Syrian youth have nothing to lose. Their schools, universities, homes, and streets are unsafe," Khamenei said.

He added: "Therefore, they must stand firmly with determination against the planners and executors of insecurity and prevail over them."

Syrian opposition fighters ousted President Bashar al-Assad on Dec. 8 after a 13-year civil war.

Iran spent billions of dollars propping up Assad during the war and deployed its Revolutionary Guards to Syria to keep its ally in power.

Assad's overthrow is widely seen as a major blow to the Iran-led "Axis of Resistance" political and military alliance that opposes Israeli and US influence in the Middle East.