Report: Kidnapped Iranians revolutionary guards, not pilgrims

The rebels “captured 48 of the shabiha [militiamen] of Iran who were on a reconnaissance mission in Damascus,” said a man dressed as an officer of the rebel Free Syrian Army (FSA), in the video aired by Al Arabiya.

“During the investigation, we found that some of them were officers in the Revolutionary Guards,” the man reportedly said, showing ID documents taken from one of the men, who appeared in the background with a large Syrian independence flag held by two armed men behind them.

Tehran said on Saturday that 48 Iranians, planning to visit a shrine of particular significance to Shiite Muslims on the outskirts of Damascus, were kidnapped on the road from the airport.