TEHRAN- Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei has strongly condemned a terrorist attack near the tomb of Sayyida Zainab (PBUH) in the Syrian capital, Damascus, which resulted in the martyrdom of the local Friday prayer leader.

In a message issued on Saturday, Baqaei expressed deep outrage over Friday’s heinous crime, including the assassination of Sheikh Farhan Hassan al-Mansour, the imam of the mosque at Sayyida Zainab.

He noted that terrorist acts targeting religious sites and scholars in Syria and elsewhere in West Asia are part of “the evil plot of the Zionist regime and the United States” aimed at inciting sedition and division across the region.

Baqaei called on relevant Syrian authorities, as well as officials in other countries, to remain vigilant against such plots and to fulfill their responsibilities in decisively confronting terrorism and extremism.

While extending condolences to the family of the martyred cleric, the Syrian nation, and the community of religious scholars, the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson emphasized the need to identify and punish those responsible for and supporting this terrorist act.

He also reminded Syria’s transitional government of its responsibility to ensure the safety and security of all citizens, including scholars and members of all ethnic and religious groups.

The Syrian News Agency (SANA), citing a source in the Interior Ministry of the interim government, reported that Sheikh al-Mansour succumbed to injuries sustained in a grenade explosion after being transferred to a hospital in the Sayyida Zainab area.