by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) – In a rare statement, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed that on Monday, it conducted airstrikes in Syria targeting Hezbollah’s intelligence division near Damascus.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported that the strikes in Syria resulted in the deaths of two Hezbollah members. Later, the IDF announced that its strikes delivered a “significant” blow to Hezbollah’s intelligence unit in Syria, which operates as an independent branch of the group’s headquarters in Lebanon.
According to SOHR, the strikes targeted a house south of Damascus in Sayyidah Zaynab, an area housing a significant Shiite sanctuary and guarded by pro-Iranian terrorist organizations, which Hezbollah and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard reportedly used.
Earlier today, Worthy News highlighted the significance of Sayyeda Zeinab, which Twelver Shī‘a Muslims revere as the true burial site of Zaynab, the granddaughter of Muhammad, the founder of Islam.
Sayyidah Zaynab is a major pilgrimage site for Shī‘a Muslims and a significant center of Shī‘i learning. During the Iran–Iraq War in the 1980s and the 1990s, pilgrimage to Sayyidah Zaynab increased as access to Iraqi Shī‘a shrines was limited. By 2011, around 1 million visitors traveled annually to the town, many seeking healing at the shrine.
Twelver Shīʿism, the largest branch of Shīʿa Islam, makes up about 85% of Shīʿas. “Twelver” signifies belief in twelve divinely appointed leaders, the Twelve Imams, with the last, Imam al-Mahdi, expected to return as the Mahdi. Twelvers see the Imams as Muhammad’s spiritual and political successors, guiding with justice and interpreting Islamic law and the Qur’an’s inner meanings. They are viewed as infallible (Ismah) and divinely chosen (nass). Iran is the only country where Twelver Shi’ism is the state religion.
The Twelvers’ believe that the Mahdi is expected to appear in times of extreme chaos, returning alongside Jesus as a messiah to bring peace and establish Islam globally.
Twelver beliefs, Iran’s nuclear ambitions, and threats toward Israel and the West have raised concerns. Critics suggest that Iran’s Supreme Leader might incite conflict to hasten the 12th Imam’s arrival. Former Iranian President Ahmadinejad has even called for the Imam’s return at the UN, asserting that the Islamic Revolution’s primary goal is to prepare for his reappearance.
Copyright 1999-2025 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
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