Damascus, Aug 5 : Aziz Asber, the head of the Scientific Research Centre in Syria's central province of Hama, has been assassinated, according to activists and pro-government reports.
Asber was killed when an explosion targeted his vehicle in Masyaf in the western countryside of Hama late on Saturday, killing him and his driver, Xinhua news agency quoted the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights as saying.
The Britain-based watchdog group said the man had close ties with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Iran.
The Scientific Research Centre in Masyaf has been targeted by the Israelis several times and most recently was in last month, giving rise to reported suspect that Israel is behind the assassination of Asber, according to the watchdog.
Some Israeli reports said the Syrian scientist was involved in Iranian missile programme.
Asber was also on the sanction list of the US for developing long-range missiles.
There have been no official comments from the Syrian government, with pro-government activists posting photos online of a charred car said to be the scientist's.
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Kolkata (PTI): West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday paid tribute to Rabindranath Tagore on his 164th birth anniversary, and said the Nobel laureate’s creations have been illuminating the whole world.
Banerjee, in a post on X, also quoted a few lines from Tagore’s famous collection of poems ‘Gitanjali’ (Song Offerings).
“On the birth anniversary of poet Rabindranath Tagore, we pay our heartfelt respects and bow to him. We remember him not only on 25th Baishakh, but every day. He is in our direction, in our language, in our hope - in everything! The whole world is illuminated by the light of his creation,” the chief minister said.
Tagore’s birth anniversary is celebrated as ‘Rabindra Jayanti’ on 25th Baishakh, according to the Bengali calendar.