Nearly 50 Iranians were kidnapped in Syria on Saturday, according to state media. The victims were on a bus near the shrine of Sayyida Zainab, a Shia holy site on the outskirts of Damascus. The Iranian government blamed the incident on "armed groups," and said it knew the location of the hostages. The area has seen intense fighting in recent weeks, as rebel groups step up their attacks against the Bashar al-Assad regime. Meanwhile, fighting resumed in rebel-held parts of Damascus and Aleppo.
