Syrian authorities have detained two senior members of the Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad, which participated in the October 2023 attacks on Israel from Gaza, the group’s armed wing and a Syrian official confirmed on Tuesday.
In a statement, the Al-Quds Brigades said that Khaled Khaled, who heads the group’s operations in Syria, and Yasser al-Zafari, head of its organizational committee, have been in custody in Syria for five days, according to Reuters.
The group stated that both figures were arrested “without any explanation” and “in a manner we wouldn’t expect from our brothers,” urging their release.
A Syrian Interior Ministry official confirmed the arrests but declined to answer why they were detained. A Palestinian source in Damascus also verified their detention.
Islamic Jihad had joined its ally Hamas in the 2023 attack on Israel. The group receives financial and military support from Iran, and has long maintained foreign headquarters in Syria and Lebanon.
However, its allies in both countries have recently suffered devastating blows. An Israeli ground and air offensive last year weakened the Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon, while Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, a close Iranian ally, was toppled by a rebel offensive.
The new Syrian leadership in Damascus has reportedly cut diplomatic ties with Iran, hoping to build regional and international support to lift sanctions and fund the country’s reconstruction.
Reuters reported last month that the U.S. provided Syria with a list of conditions for partial sanctions relief. One of them was to distance itself from Iran-backed Palestinian groups.
