The Sayedah Zainab shrine, once a hub for Iran's Axis of Resistance, is now deserted after the fall of Assad. Residents grapple with the legacy of Iranian-backed militias and the uncertain future of the region.
In the shadow of the gold-domed Sayedah Zainab shrine, six miles south of Damascus, lie the abandoned remains of what was once the de facto headquarters of Iran 's Axis of Resistance, an informal alliance of militant groups created to counter American and Israeli influence in the Middle East.
Defending this shrine — where Shiites believe the Prophet Muhammad’s granddaughter is interred — served as a rallying cry for Shiites throughout the region to support former Syrian President Bashar Assad against Sunni insurgents. Tens of thousands of mostly Shiite militiamen — from Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Yemen and as far away as Pakistan and Afghanistan — flocked to Sayedah Zainab’s rundown neighborhoods, transforming a pilgrimage site into a military zone. “This place became the political capital for all of these groups,” said Mohammad Al-Hahi, 68, a Sayedah Zainab resident. “They flew in from all over the world and assembled here. Then they would deploy to fight across Syria.” It all came to an abrupt end last month after Syria's Sunni rebels toppled Assad, triggering a frantic exodus from the city by anyone who had been fighting under Iran’s banner. In the weeks since, residents here have begun to grapple with the legacy of their past life under the control of the Iran-backed militias — and what it means for the future of the axis. Khaled Darwish, 42, who operates a cellphone shop two streets down from the shrine, viewed the presence of so many Shiite-dominated factions as an Iran-led occupation of Sayedah Zainab. They blocked streets and passageways with concrete barriers and stern-looking militiamen. “You couldn’t go anywhere without one of those groups bugging you, all in the name of supposedly protecting you,” Darwish said. “Whoever carried a weapon acted like they were god. This town wasn’t for us, we who were born and raised here, but for the
Iran Axis Of Resistance Syria Sayedah Zainab Assad Regime
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