Latest news with #KhaledKhaled
Asharq Al-Awsat
24-04-2025
- Politics
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Islamic Jihad Says it Received Assurances Over Arrest of its Leaders in Damascus
A senior figure in the Palestinian Islamic Jihad revealed that the group has received 'assurances' from Syrian authorities on the recent arrest of two of its senior officials in Damascus. Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat on condition of anonymity, the Damascus-based official said: 'We believe what happened was a misunderstanding, and we have received assurances that the matter will be resolved. We are keen on Syria's security and stability.' The group's military wing, Saraya al-Quds, which is active in the Palestinian territories, issued a statement on Wednesday confirming that Syrian authorities had detained two of its leaders. They are Khaled Khaled, Islamic Jihad's top official in Syria, and Abu Ali Yasser, head of the movement's organizational committee in Syria. The statement did not specify the reasons for the arrests and called for their release. Syrian authorities have not issued any official comment or clarification regarding the arrests. Attempts by Asharq Al-Awsat to reach Syria's General Intelligence Directorate for comment went unsuccessful. The Islamic Jihad official criticized the manner in which the arrests were carried out, describing them as 'abductions from the street' rather than formal summons or notifications. He said the movement's offices in Damascus remain open and continue to operate. 'In practice, Islamic Jihad's offices in Syria are solely focused on humanitarian and relief work.' He also expressed belief that the arrests were unrelated to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' recent visit to Damascus or to any American demands. Abbas met with Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa last Friday. 'We have great confidence in the Syrian government's support for the Palestinian cause, and we believe there is no shift in Syria's stance toward Palestine,' the official said. Addressing local media reports and social media rumors suggesting the arrests were linked to alleged collaboration with Iran in planning sabotage operations in Syria, the official dismissed the claims. 'Islamic Jihad's relationship with Iran is well-known, and all communication takes place at the leadership level and not through individuals,' he said. 'There is no direct contact between our rank-and-file members and Iran.' Despite the turmoil in Syria following the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime, Islamic Jihad has maintained its presence in the country. Its offices in Damascus have been targeted multiple times by Israeli airstrikes, most recently on March 13, when an unoccupied house belonging to Secretary-General Ziyad al-Nakhalah in the Mezzah-Dummar district was hit. This is reportedly the first time that Islamic Jihad leaders have been arrested in Syria, a country that once hosted over 13 different Palestinian factions.
Asharq Al-Awsat
23-04-2025
- Politics
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Syria Detains Two Leaders of Palestinian ‘Jihad'
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 organizational 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 Reuters 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.
LBCI
22-04-2025
- Politics
- LBCI
Syria detains two leaders of Palestinian Islamic Jihad
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 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 organizational 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.
New York Times
22-04-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
Syria Makes Rare Arrests of Palestinian Militant Group Leaders
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.
Nahar Net
22-04-2025
- Politics
- Nahar Net
Palestinian Islamic Jihad says Syria detaining two group officials
Palestinian group Islamic Jihad's armed wing said Tuesday that Syria's new authorities had detained two of the group's officials and called for their release. A statement from the Al-Quds Brigades said Islamic Jihad's Syria official Khaled Khaled and organizing committee member Yasser al-Zafri had been detained in Syria for five days "without explanation". The statement from the Iran-backed group expressed hope "that our brothers in the Syrian government" would release the pair, noting their detention comes as the group is "fighting the Zionist enemy" in the Gaza Strip. Islamic Jihad, an ally of Hamas that has fought alongside the Palestinian militant group in Gaza, is considered a terrorist organization by Israel, the European Union and the United States. After Islamist-led forces ousted longtime Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad in December, Islamic Jihad secretary-general Jihad al-Nakhalah expressed hope that the country would "remain a true supporter and backer of the Palestinian people and their just cause, as it has always been". Assad's government was a close ally of Tehran and Lebanon's Hezbollah, and was part of the so-called axis of resistance against Israel in the region. Last month, Israel's military said it had struck an Islamic Jihad command center in Damascus that was used to "plan and direct terrorist activities" against Israel. The United States last month said it would not ease Assad-era sanctions on Syria until it had verified the new authorities' progress on key issues. U.S. State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said the new authorities should "fully renounce and suppress terrorism, exclude foreign terrorist fighters from any official roles (and) prevent Iran and its proxies from exploiting Syrian territory".
