Marked escalation of Shia’a activity | Many Shia’a visitors flock to regime-held areas and Iranian-backed militias mark “Ashura” in Deir Ezzor
SOHR sources reported that many Shia’a visitors began to flock to regime-held areas in light of marked escalating numbers of “Shia’a visitors” who live whether in Damascus and Rif Dimashq, Deir Ezzor and its countryside or Aleppo and its countryside, Homs and the Syrian coast.
SOHR activists reported seeing numerous Shia’a visitors in regime-held areas, especially with”Ashura anniversary.”
According to SOHR sources in Deir Ezzor, Iranian-backed militias hold Ashura mourning ceremonies in Hatlah town near Deir Ezzor city yesterday.
Iranian-backed militias brought horses and conducted skits of the events of Hussein’s murder according to the beliefs of Shia’a followers.
Iranian-backed militiamen hold “Ashura memorial rituals in the presence of leaders of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards and Shia’a visitors in Deir Ezzor.
Moreover, women conducted a parade at Jafar Al-Sadiq mosque, during which Al-Latmiyyat ritual (“Al-Latmiyyat Al-Shi’yah” (self-flagellation: a religious ritual practised by Shiite community) was held.
In Damascus, Al-Hamidiyah markets and the Umayyad Mosque area have been overcrowded over the past two days by Shia’a visitors.
Similarly, Aleppo and other areas controlled by regime and their proxies have seen a large number of Shia’a visitors.
On May 5, SOHR activists monitored the entry of dozens of Shiite visitors in two buses to Ain Ali shrine in Al-Mayadin city in the eastern Deir Ezzor countryside coming from Iraq, where they washed with the spring water for blessing and took pictures inside the shrine, before heading towards the highway between Damascus and Deir Ezzor in their buses.
On April 29, SOHR activists monitored the entrance of two buses carrying Shiites to Syrian territory coming from Iraq through Al-Bokamal crossing in Deir Ezzor countryside, where the visitors stopped for an hour in Ain Ali shrine in Al-Mayadin city and headed towards Damascus province.
This came in light of the infiltration by Iranian militias among the Syrian community.