Syria detains two leaders of Palestinian Islamic Jihad
(Reuters) - Syrian authorities have detained two senior members of the Palestinian militant faction Islamic Jihad, which took part in the October 2023 attacks on Israel from Gaza, the group's armed wing and a Syrian official said on Tuesday.
In a statement, the Al Quds Brigades said Khaled Khaled, who heads Islamic Jihad's operations in Syria, and Yasser al-Zafari, who heads its organisational committee, had been in Syrian custody for five days.
The group said the men had been detained "without any explanation of the reasons" and "in a manner we would not have hoped to see from brothers", and called for their release.
An official from Syria's interior ministry confirmed the detentions, but did not respond to follow-up questions on why the pair had been arrested. A Palestinian source in Damascus also confirmed the arrests.
Islamic Jihad joined its ally Hamas, Gaza's ruling group, in the attack on Israel in 2023. It is a recipient of Iranian funding and know-how, and has long had foreign headquarters in Syria and Lebanon.
But its allies in both countries have recently suffered devastating blows: an Israeli air and ground offensive last year severely weakened the Lebanese Iranian-backed group Hezbollah, and Syria's leader Bashar al-Assad, closely allied to Tehran, was ousted by a rebel offensive last year.
The new Islamist leadership in Damascus has cut diplomatic ties with Iran and is hoping to rebuild Syria's regional and international backing, not least to eliminate sanctions and fund reconstruction after a brutal 14-year civil war.
The U.S. has given Syria a list of conditions to fulfill in exchange for partial sanctions relief, Reuters reported last month. Sources said one of the conditions was keeping Iran-backed Palestinian groups at a distance.
Israel has carried out strikes against Islamic Jihad in Syria for years. Last month, it said it struck a building on the outskirts of Damascus that it said Islamic Jihad was using as a command centre, an assertion denied by the group.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hill
29 minutes ago
- The Hill
How Israeli strikes dealt a serious blow to Iran's nuclear ambitions
Israel's sweeping attack across Iran struck at the heart of Tehran's nuclear program, delivering a blow to the country's ability to enrich uranium and potentially setting its nuclear ambitions back by months or years. As well as killing key military figures and nuclear scientists, the Israeli strikes destroyed part of a plant that was enriching uranium to levels far beyond the requirements for nuclear-fueled power stations. The attacks also destroyed backup power for the underground section of the plant, potentially damaging more sensitive equipment. Iran's nuclear program has progressed rapidly since 2018, when the U.S. withdrew from a deal to limit Tehran's capacity to enrich uranium, which is necessary to build a nuclear weapon. Iran maintains that its program is peaceful, but the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency has repeatedly warned that the country has enough enriched uranium to make several nuclear bombs if it chose to do so. Nuclear regulators said the assault was unlikely to lead to increased levels of radiation, even at the site where part of the fuel-enrichment plant was destroyed. Here's a closer look at the attack and its likely effects on Iran's nuclear efforts. Israel killed top military figures and nuclear scientists and destroyed part of a key enrichment site. There is 'no question' it did substantial damage, said Fabian Hinz, an expert on Iran's nuclear program at the International Institute of Strategic Studies in London. David Albright, a nuclear weapons expert, speculated that the initial wave of attacks could set back any Iranian attempt to develop a nuclear weapon by about a year. A key question, Hinz said, is whether Israel also targeted suppliers of specialist components such as centrifuges and subcontractors. Israel's strategy appears to be to 'destroy the brains' behind the program and 'as much equipment as possible,' said Albright, who agreed that Israel has potentially done a 'tremendous amount of damage' to the program. Israel is widely believed to be behind a series of attacks in recent years that targeted Iranian nuclear scientists and sabotaged nuclear facilities. Hinz suggested a key Israeli goal was to undermine Iran's ability to make centrifuges, which are critical for enriching uranium. Uranium enrichment is a key component of building a nuclear weapon, but weapons also require detonators and a means of delivery, like missiles. Iran has two uranium-enrichment sites, and the country said Wednesday that it has built and will activate a third enrichment facility. On Thursday, Israel struck Iran's main and oldest facility in Natanz, 220 kilometers (135 miles) southeast of Tehran, which was protected by anti-aircraft batteries, fencing and Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard. The IAEA's chief, Rafael Grossi, told an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council on Friday that the above-ground part of the plant where uranium was enriched up to 60% was destroyed, along with electrical infrastructure, including a substation, the main electric power supply building, the emergency power supply and backup generators. Grossi said there were no changes to radiation levels following the attack or any indication of damage to the underground section of the plant. That part of the facility is buried to protect it from airstrikes and contains the bulk of Natanz's enrichment facilities, with 10,000 centrifuges that enrich uranium up to 5%, Albright said. However, Grossi said, the loss of power may have damaged centrifuges. There is a good chance the strikes still caused 'massive damage,' Hinz said because many of the centrifuges were probably operating at the time of the strike. Centrifuges, Albright said, 'don't like vibration,' and the shock waves or loss of power could break delicate parts when they are rotating at high speed. Most of Iran's centrifuges are in Natanz, the experts said, because a lot of them are required to enrich uranium to 5% — which is the maximum level normally used for nuclear-fueled power stations. But, buried under a huge mountain at Fordo, around 100 kilometers (60 miles) southwest of Tehran, is another nuclear facility where Iran is also enriching uranium to 60%, which is only a short step away from weapons-grade levels of 90%. According to the IAEA, Tehran has the largest number of its most powerful centrifuges at Fordo. An Iranian news outlet close to the government reported Friday that two explosions were heard near the Fordo site. But, while Israel could potentially hit the entrance to Fordo and temporarily block access, it is not believed to have the type of earth-penetrating bombs required to blow up the mountain and crack open the nuclear facility inside, Hinz said. That capacity lies with the U.S., which has developed a massive bomb that can be dropped only from large aircraft that Israel does not have in service, he said. The potential for more strikes loomed large. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said the attacks will continue 'for as many days at it takes to remove this threat.' Hinz said the attacks showed Israeli intelligence had 'absolutely exceptional' knowledge of Iran's nuclear program and the ability to strike at key targets 'with precision.' That could mean Israel could sabotage the plant, rather than trying to blast the mountain open. Albright suggested Israel could try to cut off electricity to Fordo, which could lead to centrifuges breaking. Although Grossi said part of the enrichment facility at Natanz was destroyed, he noted that radiation levels had not spiked. Even if radiation did leak, experts said, the amount would be unlikely to pose a risk to people in the region or even those near the facilities that got hit. 'Very little uranium will be released in these kind of attacks,' Albright said. Uranium itself is not especially toxic, he said, and is common in parts of the environment. A person standing near an enrichment facility with a leak would probably be exposed to no more radiation than someone who took several transatlantic flights, which receive slightly higher radiation because radiation doses are larger at high altitudes, he said. In order to become sick, someone would have to ingest large quantities of uranium, Albright said, pointing out that the element can be found naturally in seawater and the earth's crust. Rather than radiation, the greater risk might be from fluorine, which is used to enrich uranium and could have been deadly to those nearby if released during an attack. Fluorine is mixed with the uranium during enrichment to turn it into a gas called uranium hexafluoride. It is extremely volatile, will quickly corrode and can burn the skin. It is especially deadly if inhaled. ___ The Associated Press receives support for nuclear security coverage from the Carnegie Corporation of New York and Outrider Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content. ___ Additional AP coverage of the nuclear landscape:
New York Post
41 minutes ago
- New York Post
Suspected MS-13 gangbanger Kilmar Abrego Garcia possibly earned $100K a year smuggling illegal immigrants across US: witness
Suspected MS-13 gangbanger Kilmar Abrego Garcia was paid up to $1,500 per smuggling trip and may have raked in more than $100,000 annually trafficking humans, including minors, according to witnesses. The new details about Abrego Garcia's alleged 'full-time job' come from co-conspirators and witnesses cooperating with the federal government's human smuggling case against the Salvadoran national who was wrongly deported in March. The allegations were shared by a federal agent during a Friday detention hearing in a Nashville court, where Abrego Garcia entered a plea of not guilty. Advertisement 4 Abrego Garcia was deported to El Salvador in March but brought back to the US earlier this month and charged with human smuggling. via REUTERS 4 The human smuggling charges against Kilmar Abrego Garcia stem from a 2022 traffic stop in Tennessee, where he was pulled over driving a vehicle with nine passengers. Tennessee Highway Patrol As part of the illegal operation, smugglers charged migrants from Central and South America $8,000 for passage into the US — and Abrego Garcia would pick them up in Texas to transport them across the US, Homeland Security Investigations special agent Peter Joseph testified. Advertisement Abrego Garcia was paid between up to $1,500 per trip and made about one to two smuggling trips per week, according to one co-conspirator, Joseph revealed. The trips may have netted the Maryland man more than $100,000 per year in income. The payment structure was corroborated by a second co-conspirator helping federal authorities, who noted $1,000 payments were passed from the trafficker to the driver making the long-haul trips. The co-conspirator also alleged that roughly 30% of the smuggling operation's customers were gang members. Advertisement The human smuggling charges against Abrego Garcia stem from a 2022 traffic stop in Tennessee, where Abrego Garcia was pulled over driving a vehicle with nine passengers. An envelope stuffed with $1,400 in cash was found on the illegal immigrant during the speeding stop, a Tennessee Highway Patrol officer noted in body camera video of the encounter, which also demonstrates that the officers had suspicions the Maryland man was smuggling the people in the car. 4 Abrego Garcia was paid between up to $1,500 per smuggling trip and made about one to two treks per week, according to one co-conspirator. DHS Joseph testified that the vehicle Abrego Garcia was stopped in was owned by Jose Hernandez-Reyes, a convicted migrant smuggler, and that six of the nine occupants were in the US illegally. Advertisement Witnesses further alleged that children were also transported during the trips and forced to sit on the floorboards. One of Abrego Garcia's co-conspirators told authorities that they witnessed drug and gun smuggling, as well, and that the weapons — which included handguns and semi-automatic rifles — were hidden beneath the children on the trips. Testimony related to allegations that Abrego Garcia had sexual relationships with some of his passengers, including a minor, was limited after his defense team objected. 4 Abrego Garcia may have earned $100,000 a year smuggling migrants, according to witnesses. AP Abrego Garcia is not charged with any sex, drug or gun crimes. The evidence was presented during the hearing to demonstrate that Abrego Garcia presents a danger to the community and should remain behind bars. His lawyers have called the allegations presented by the Justice Department 'preposterous.' The defense team also pressed Joseph on any deals he's cut with the government witnesses, suggesting that their testimony presents a conflict of interest. Abrego Garcia's lawyers noted that one witness had been previously deported and is serving a 30-month prison sentence, but is now living in a halfway house and may receive work authorization. Advertisement A second witness, according to defense lawyers, is a close relative of the first witness and indicated he would cooperate in return for his release from jail. A third had previously been compensated for helping law enforcement. With Post wires
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Iran says nuclear talks with US 'meaningless' after Israel attack
CAIRO (Reuters) -Iran said on Friday the dialogue with the U.S. over Tehran's nuclear programme is "meaningless" after Israel's biggest-ever military strike against its longstanding enemy, accusing Washington of supporting the attack. "The other side (the U.S.) acted in a way that makes dialogue meaningless. You cannot claim to negotiate and at the same time divide work by allowing the Zionist regime (Israel) to target Iran's territory," the semi-official Tasnim news agency quoted foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei as saying. He said Israel "succeeded in influencing" the diplomatic process and the Israeli attack would not have happened without Washington's permission. Iran earlier accused the U.S. of being complicit in Israel's attacks, but Washington denied the allegation and told Tehran at the United Nations Security Council that it would be "wise" to negotiate over its nuclear programme. The sixth round of U.S.-Iran nuclear talks was set to be held on Sunday in Muscat, but it was unclear whether it would go ahead after the Israeli strikes. Iran denies that its uranium enrichment programme is for anything other than civilian purposes, rejecting Israeli allegations that it is secretly developing nuclear weapons. U.S. President Donald Trump told Reuters that he and his team had known the Israeli attacks were coming but they still saw room for an accord.
