Latest news with #Yasseral-Zafari
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.
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
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.
Reuters
22-04-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
Syria detains two leaders of Palestinian Islamic Jihad
April 22 (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. here. 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.
