Looters ransack Iranian Embassy in Damascus (VIDEO)
A clip has emerged purporting to show looters causing havoc at the Iranian Embassy in Damascus after the takeover of the Syrian capital by jihadists.
Footage published by a Telegram channel linked to Iraqi militias on Sunday shows smashed windows and offices turned inside out in the diplomatic mission in the center of the city.
It also shows traces of gunshots on the bulletproof glass at the entrance to the building.
Numerous people in civilian clothes are seen in the clip removing furniture, office equipment, and other items from the embassy.
Iranian state TV reported on Sunday that “unknown individuals have attacked the Iranian Embassy” in the Syrian capital.
On Friday, Tehran denied a report by the New York Times that the evacuation of embassy staff from Damascus had been ordered as Hayat Tahrir-al-Sham (HTS) terrorist group and other anti-government forces were approaching the capital.
The Embassy of Russia, which has been an ally of Syrian President Bashar Assad along with Iran, remains operational in Damascus, according to TASS news agency. “Everything is fine with us,” a spokesman for the Russian mission told the agency.
Also on Sunday, Iraqi media reported that Baghdad has evacuated its embassy staff from Syria to neighboring Lebanon.
On Sunday, the jihadists and other anti-government groups claimed that they had taken over Damascus and that power in Syria now belongs to them.
Reuters reported, citing military sources, that Assad, who led the Middle Eastern country for almost a quarter of a century, flew out of Damascus on Saturday evening “for an unknown destination.”
Prominent HTS commander Ahmed Al-Sharaa has reportedly issued orders prohibiting all militant forces in Damascus from approaching public institutions or firing weapons into the air. He went on to say that government institutions will remain under the supervision of the “former prime minister” of Syria, Mohammad al-Jalali, until they are officially transferred to the new authorities.
Al-Jalali stated that he is “ready to cooperate with any leadership chosen by the people.” The prime minister added that he remains in the capital and is inclined to support the continuity of government.
