2024-02-04 00:48:18
The Syrian Ministry of Culture condemned American strikes on eastern Syria, which according to local media caused damage to an archaeological site in Deir ez-Zor Governorate.
The United States announced on Friday that it had “successfully” launched retaliatory strikes in both Iraq and Syria targeting Iranian forces and groups loyal to Tehran, at a time when US President Joe Biden warned that these strikes “will continue.”
In a statement on its Facebook page, the Ministry of Culture condemned “in the strongest terms the barbaric American bombing of the ancient Al-Rahba Castle located on the Euphrates River in the Al-Mayadeen area,” whose construction dates back to the ninth century AD, according to the Ministry.
She added that the bombing violates “all international norms and conventions calling for the protection and respect of cultural property in the event of armed conflict.”
The local newspaper Al-Watan quoted the Director General of Antiquities and Museums, Nazir Awad, as saying, “The damage was caused by cracks and fissures in the walls of the castle,” pointing out that “there is still no accurate statistics on the extent of all the damage.”
The official Syrian News Agency (SANA), quoting a statement from the Ministry of Defense, reported that “a number of civilians and soldiers were killed, others were injured, and significant damage was caused to public and private property” as a result of the strikes.
On Saturday, Tehran, Damascus and Baghdad “strongly” condemned the night strikes launched by the United States, denouncing “a violation of the sovereignty of Syria and Iraq.”
Al-Rahba.. a center for the Iranian militia
According to opposition media, an Iranian militia transformed Al-Rahba Castle in Al-Mayadeen into an information center, following moving it from the postal center in Al-Mayadeen.
Sources said that the task of supervising it was assigned to the Lebanese Hezbollah militia, and dozens of surveillance cameras were installed in the vicinity of the castle.
She added that the vicinity of Al-Rahba Castle has become a special military zone for Iranian militias, which includes warehouses for storing weapons and missiles, and it has also established an airport for drones in its vicinity.
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