Syria Makes Rare Arrests of Palestinian Militant Group Leaders

New York Times

22-04-2025

Syrian authorities made a rare arrest of two senior members of the Palestinian armed faction Islamic Jihad, the group said on Tuesday, a move that signaled the shifting of alliances in the Middle East.
The group, Islamic Jihad, is an Iran-backed ally of Hamas that took part in the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel from Gaza, which triggered the war there. The group said on Tuesday that Khaled Khaled, its leader in Syria, and Yasser al-Zafari, another senior figure, had been in Syrian custody for five days.
Syria's interior ministry confirmed their detention, but provided no reason for their arrest. Islamic Jihad said the two officials had been detained 'without any explanation' and 'in a manner we would not have hoped to see from brothers.'
The arrest of senior Palestinian officials signaled a pendulum swing for Syria, which under President Bashar al-Assad was closely allied with Iran and historically served as a critical base of operations for several Palestinian armed groups.
But since Mr. Assad was toppled by rebels in December, Syria's new rulers have sought to reassert control over the complex web of armed groups operating inside the country and distance themselves from Iran and its allies.
The Trump administration has issued conditions for Syria's new rulers in return for a limited easing of sanctions, including cracking down on extremist groups, according to two officials with knowledge of the issue.
Syria's new leadership is eager to get relief from the sanctions imposed on the ousted Assad dictatorship, which are hindering the country's ability to recover economically and finance postwar reconstruction.
As soon as Mr. al-Assad fled the country in December, one of the first requests from Ahmed al-Shara, then the leader of the rebel coalition that overthrew the government, was for the United States to begin easing sanctions. Mr. al-Shara is now president.
And although some U.S. restrictions on humanitarian aid to Syria have since been eased, the bulk remain in place.
The arrests of the Palestinians coincided with the arrival of Republican congressmen in Damascus last week. It was the first visit by American lawmakers to Syria in many years and an indication that their party was starting to pay closer attention to the war-ravaged country.