DAMASCUS, May 1 (Xinhua) -- A Shiite cleric was critically wounded Friday when assailants threw a grenade into his car in the Sayyida Zeinab suburb of Damascus, according to a war monitor, though Syrian authorities confirmed only that an explosion had occurred in the area.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights identified the target as Farhan Mansour, a member of the Shiite religious authority and a Friday preacher. The Britain-based monitor said unknown assailants attacked Mansour near the Safir al-Zahraa hotel after he left the Sayyida Zeinab shrine, leaving him severely wounded. His condition remained unclear, the group said.
Syrian security authorities, cited by the state-run SANA news agency, said the blast was caused by a hand grenade but did not confirm the reported target or provide casualty figures. Security forces cordoned off the area and increased their presence to keep civilians away, while specialized teams examined the scene, authorities said.
There was no immediate official statement on Mansour's condition.
Sayyida Zeinab, home to one of Shiite Islam's most revered shrines, has been attacked multiple times during Syria's more than 14-year civil war. Friday's incident occurred against a backdrop of heightened sectarian tensions as the country emerges from the conflict. ■
