Syrian suspected of involvement in blast near Damascus dies after ‘throwing himself' from building near Beirut

Hezbollah announced that a Syrian individual died on Friday night after throwing himself from a building in the southern suburbs of Beirut, pursued by elements of the party on suspicion of his involvement in the explosion near the Sayyida Zaynab shrine south of Damascus last month. 

In a statement issued by the party's media office on Saturday, "Information reached the relevant authorities in Hezbollah about a Syrian person sneaking into Lebanon, who was responsible for the explosion that occurred in the Sayyida Zaynab area" last month. 

The statement added, "Fearing his initiation of any security action, he was pursued, and when he learned that his whereabouts were exposed, he threw himself from the seventh floor" and passed away after being transferred to the hospital. 

No statement or comment has been issued by the Lebanese security agencies concerned, while a security source confirmed to Agence France-Presse on Saturday that the security agencies did not play any role in the operation. 

Hezbollah's statement indicated that the Syrian individual, born in the year 2000, settled with his relatives in the area of Hay Al Selloum, one of the poorest neighborhoods in the suburbs and a stronghold of Hezbollah, after infiltrating from a bordering Syrian town. 

Agence France-Presse was not able to verify the identity of the suspect or the validity of the accusations against him from an independent source. 

Six people were killed and more than twenty others were injured on July 27 due to an explosive device explosion in the Sayyida Zaynab area south of Damascus, according to the Syrian Interior Ministry. 

The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack the next day, near the highly significant religious site for the Shia. 

AFP