Iran condemns attack on Shiite pilgrims in Syria

Iran on Monday strongly condemned recent terrorist attack targeting Lebanese pilgrims in Syria, Tasnim news agency quoted Iranian foreign ministry as saying.

Marzieh Afkham, spokeswoman for the foreign ministry, said the attack was part of the common objectives pursued by Israel.

The spokeswoman also pointed her finger to the terrorist groups and a retaliatory act against the "Resistance movement."

On Sunday, a bomb attack on a bus carrying Lebanese Shiite Muslim pilgrims at the center of the Syrian capital of Damascus killed at least six people and wounded 19.

The pilgrims were visiting a shrine in a nearby area of the old city of Damascus, according to local residents.

The al-Nusra Front, an al-Qaida offshoot, claimed the responsibility for the attack.

It said that one of its members carried out the suicide attack on the bus "in revenge for our Sunni brothers in both Syria and Lebanon."

The spokesperson was referring to the Lebanese Shiite Hezbollah movement, which has played a key role in supporting Syrian President Assad, angering Syrian rebels and extreme jihadist groups.

"The main elements behind such crimes are those who provide logistic and financial support for terrorism," she said. Endit