Shiites Worship At Syrias Sayyida Zaynab Mosque, Key To Iran's Role In Syria

DAMASCUS, SYRIA - DECEMBER 14: Syrian Shiite boys step on a torn portrait of supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as Syrian Shiites celebrate the fall of the regime of Bashar al-Assad near the gilt Sayyida Zaynab Mosque south of the capital, on December 14, 2024 in Damascus, Syria. Until the fall of Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad on Dec. 8, Iran had used the presence of such an important Shiite shrine in Syria to partially justify its military presence and that of its allied Shiite militias from Lebanese Hezbollah to Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, who were all lauded by Iran as defenders of the shrine.(Photo by Scott Peterson/Getty Images)