Hazrat Zainab’s shrine is completely safe

Majid Namjoo, Deputy Head of the Holy Shrines Reconstruction and Development Staff, announced the return of all the staff and workers involved in the reconstruction of the shrine of Hazrat Zainab from Syria. He said, “Last week, before armed groups entered the city of Damascus, all Iranian executive staff and workers involved in the reconstruction of Hazrat Zainab’s shrine in Syria returned to the Islamic homeland. Currently, no Iranian worker is present in the Sayyida Zainab area.”Referring to the exploitation of the insecurity in Damascus by some individuals who attacked the offices and warehouses of the Shrine Reconstruction and Development Staff around Hazrat Zainab’s shrine, Namjoo stated: “Following these attacks, damages were inflicted on the staff’s property and offices, although the armed groups have denied any involvement in this matter.”Namjoo continued: “When these developments started with such speed, in coordination with the Iranian embassy, we were informed that we must evacuate the area. The evacuation order was issued immediately. The last individuals who were present as workers in the area returned to Iran today around noon through Latakia Airport, and we thank God that we were able to save the lives of our fellow citizens, as we were very concerned about their safety and the potential clashes that could have occurred. According to the latest conversation I had with our person in charge, armed groups have occupied the area around the shrine but have not entered the shrine’s perimeter. However, because we had to evacuate the area quickly, some of the poor attacked and took over the spaces we had, looting them.”In response to a question about the security of the shrines and the guarantee of armed groups to protect and ensure their safety, he said: “The responsibility for securing the shrine there was with Hezbollah Lebanon, and when the evacuation order was given, they, like all the other workers, evacuated the area, so there was no longer any security presence there. What we have heard is consistent with what our foreign minister has mentioned regarding security inside the centers and shrines. The narrative created by the armed groups in the media and public space, claiming that they have no plans to harm the shrines, is what we have heard as well.”According to Mehr News, following recent events in Syria, concerns have arisen regarding the condition of the sacred shrines in the country. Reports indicate that the area surrounding the Sayyida Zainab shrine in Syria remains calm and secure, and visitors continue to safely pay their respects to Hazrat Zainab. The loudspeakers at the Sayyida Zainab shrine were activated to reassure the public following terrorist rumors about clashes in the area. The distance between the Al-Kosa area in the Damascus countryside, now controlled by the Tahrir al-Sham terrorists, and the Sayyida Zainab area is not very far, which has caused concern.