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The Strategic Significance of Sayyeda Zaynab Area in Southern Damascus Amid Increased Israeli Airstrikes

The southern suburb of Damascus, specifically “Sayyeda Zaynab” and its surroundings in the Rif Dimashq governorate, holds significant strategic value for Iranian militias and the Lebanese Hezbollah, akin to the southern suburbs of Beirut. This area has become a major hub for the presence of Iranian-supported militias, including Hezbollah, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Iraqi militias, and other allied groups. The region is also notable for being home to the shrine of “Sayyeda Zaynab,” which has transformed into a key stronghold for Iranian presence in Syria, making it a repeated target of Israeli airstrikes aimed at undermining the influence of Iranian and Iraqi militias in the country.
Since the beginning of 2024, Israel has intensified its airstrikes on this area, targeting military and logistical facilities belonging to Iranian militias and Hezbollah. These strikes have resulted in the deaths of numerous military leaders within these groups, alongside a significant number of casualties among Iranian militia members. However, the attacks have not been limited to military targets, but have also affected civilians, whether they are Syrians or from other nationalities.
According to documentation from the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Israel has targeted the Sayyeda Zaynab area 9 times since the start of this year. These strikes have resulted in the deaths of 28 military personnel, including 11 from Lebanese Hezbollah, along with the martyrdom of 6 civilians.
Here are the details of the attacks as documented by the Syrian Observatory since the beginning of the year:
- **January 29:** Eight people were killed, including two members of Hezbollah, and three Syrians—one of whom was an aide to an IRGC officer, while the others were Syrian contractors guarding farms—due to an Israeli strike on a site in Sayyeda Zaynab, Rif Dimashq.
- **February 2:** Three people were killed, including a prominent IRGC leader and his aide, along with an Iraqi, as a result of Israeli airstrikes targeting a farm on the Aqrbah-Sayyeda Zaynab road, near the vocational school and electronic warfare command south of Damascus.
- **February 28:** Two members of Hezbollah-affiliated militias, who were Syrian nationals, were killed, and six others suffered severe injuries and burns due to Israeli strikes targeting two buildings within a militia training center, located 600 meters apart on the Babila-Sayyeda Zaynab road.
- **March 28:** An unidentified individual was killed, and five guards at a site in the Bahdaliyah area surrounding Sayyeda Zaynab, Rif Dimashq were injured as a result of an Israeli strike.
- **June 9:** Israeli airstrikes targeted the cultural center affiliated with the Iraqi al-Nujaba Movement, which is loyal to Iran, in the Sayyeda Zaynab area, as well as a training camp belonging to the same group.
- **June 26:** A sixty-year-old man died from injuries sustained in Israeli strikes on the Sayyeda Zaynab area days earlier, following the death of his wife, who had also been killed in the strike. Thus, the number of civilian martyrs rises to two: a man and his wife, both from the towns of Nubl and Zahra in Aleppo, who were visiting the religious sites in Sayyeda Zaynab.
Additionally, two individuals were killed—one a Syrian national working with Hezbollah, and the other an Iranian militia member of a non-Syrian nationality—while 11 others were injured.
- **September 20:** Israel assassinated a leader of the Iraqi Hezbollah militia, Muhammad Ali al-Khafaji, nicknamed "Abu Haidar," using a missile from a drone near the Sayyeda Zaynab area south of Damascus. He was in his forties and hails from the Ain area near Karbala, Iraq.
- **November 4:** Israel launched three strikes targeting three separate farms in the south and southeast of Sayyeda Zaynab, Rif Dimashq, resulting in the deaths of two Hezbollah members and serious injuries to five others.
- **November 10:** Israel targeted an apartment in a building in Sayyeda Zaynab where Lebanese families reside, leading to human losses totaling 23, including 9 fatalities, with 4 civilians (a woman and three of her children) of Syrian nationality, 5 individuals including a Hezbollah leader, while the identities of the rest remained unknown, along with 14 others sustaining various injuries, including children and women, as a result of the strike.
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BENEFIT AGM approves 10%...
- March 27, 2025
BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, held its Annual General Meeting (AGM) at the company’s headquarters in the Seef District.
During the meeting, shareholders approved all items listed on the agenda, including the ratification of the minutes of the previous AGM held on 26 March 2024. The session reviewed and approved the Board’s Annual Report on the company’s activities and financial performance for the fiscal year ended 31 December 2024, and the shareholders expressed their satisfaction with the company’s operational and financial results during the reporting period.
The meeting also reviewed the Independent External Auditor’s Report on the company’s consolidated financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2024. Subsequently, the shareholders approved the audited financial statements for the fiscal year. Based on the Board’s recommendation, the shareholders approved the distribution of a cash dividend equivalent to 10% of the paid-up share capital.
Furthermore, the shareholders endorsed the allocation of a total amount of BD 172,500 as remuneration to the members of the Board for the year ended 31 December 2024, subject to prior clearance by related authorities.
The extension of the current composition of the Board was approved, which includes ten members and one CBB observer, for a further six-month term, expiring in September 2025, pending no objection from the CBB.
The meeting reviewed and approved the Corporate Governance Report for 2024, which affirmed the company’s full compliance with the corporate governance directives issued by the CBB and other applicable regulatory frameworks. The AGM absolved the Board Members of liability for any of their actions during the year ending on 31st December 2024, in accordance with the Commercial Companies Law.
In alignment with regulatory requirements, the session approved the reappointment of Ernst & Young (EY) as the company’s External Auditors for the fiscal year 2025, covering both the parent company and its subsidiaries—Sinnad and Bahrain FinTech Bay. The Board was authorised to determine the external auditors’ professional fees, subject to approval from the CBB, and the meeting concluded with a discussion of any additional issues as per Article (207) of the Commercial Companies Law.
Speaking on the company’s performance, Mr. Mohamed Al Bastaki, Chairman BENEFIT , stated: “In terms of the financial results for 2024, I am pleased to say that the year gone by has also been proved to be a success in delivering tangible results. Growth rate for 2024 was 19 per cent. Revenue for the year was BD 17 M (US$ 45.3 Million) and net profit was 2 Million ($ 5.3 Million).
Mr. Al Bastaki also announced that the Board had formally adopted a new three-year strategic roadmap to commence in 2025. The strategy encompasses a phased international expansion, optimisation of internal operations, enhanced revenue diversification, long-term sustainability initiatives, and the advancement of innovation and digital transformation initiatives across all service lines.
“I extend my sincere appreciation to the CBB for its continued support of BENEFIT and its pivotal role in fostering a stable and progressive regulatory environment for the Kingdom’s banking and financial sector—an environment that has significantly reinforced Bahrain’s standing as a leading financial hub in the region,” said Mr. Al Bastaki. “I would also like to thank our partner banks and valued customers for their trust, and our shareholders for their ongoing encouragement. The achievements of 2024 set a strong precedent, and I am confident they will serve as a foundation for yet another successful and impactful year ahead.”
Chief Executive of BENEFIT; Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi commented, “The year 2024 represented another pivotal chapter in BENEFIT ’s evolution. We achieved substantial progress in advancing our digital strategy across multiple sectors, while reinforcing our long-term commitment to the development of Bahrain’s financial services and payments landscape. Throughout the year, we remained firmly aligned with our objective of delivering measurable value to our shareholders, strategic partners, and customers. At the same time, we continued to play an active role in enabling Bahrain’s digital economy by introducing innovative solutions and service enhancements that directly address market needs and future opportunities.”
Mr. AlJanahi affirmed that BENEFIT has successfully developed a robust and well-integrated payment network that connects individuals and businesses across Bahrain, accelerating the adoption of emerging technologies in the banking and financial services sector and reinforcing Bahrain’s position as a growing fintech hub, and added, “Our achievements of the past year reflect a long-term vision to establish a resilient electronic payment infrastructure that supports the Kingdom’s digital economy. Key developments in 2024 included the implementation of central authentication for open banking via BENEFIT Pay”
Mr. AlJanahi concluded by thanking the Board for its strategic direction, the company’s staff for their continued dedication, and the Central Bank of Bahrain, member banks, and shareholders for their valuable partnership and confidence in the company’s long-term vision.
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