Syrian authorities detained two senior members of the Palestinian radical group Islamic Jihad, which was involved in the October 2023 attack on Israel. In the U.S. and EU “Islamic Jihad” is recognised as a terrorist organisation.
According to Reuters, the armed wing of the Islamic Jihad, the Al-Quds Brigades, said in a statement that Khaled Khaled, commander of the group’s formations in Syria, and Yasser al-Zafari, who heads its organising committee, were taken into custody. Both have been imprisoned for five days, with no official reason given for their arrest.
“They are being held without explanation and in a manner we would not expect to see from the brothers,” the statement said. “Islamic Jihad demanded the immediate release of Khaled and al-Zafari.
A Syrian Interior Ministry official confirmed the detention but declined to comment. A source in the Palestinian diaspora in Damascus also confirmed the arrests.
“Islamic Jihad, which receives funding and military support from Iran, has long operated using bases in Syria and Lebanon. However, in 2024, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was ousted in an offensive by opposition forces and a new Islamist government took over power in Damascus.
Syria’s new leadership has an anti-Iranian stance, it has severed diplomatic ties with Tehran and seeks to rebuild relations with the Arab world and the West. One of the conditions for easing US sanctions pressure on Syria is to distance itself from Iranian proxy groups, including Palestinian militias.
Israel continues to strike Islamic Jihad positions on Syrian territory.
In March, Israel reported an attack on a building near Damascus that it said was used as the group’s command centre. Representatives of Islamic Jihad called these data untrue.
The detention of two senior leaders of the Islamic Jihad may signal the beginning of a new policy of the Syrian authorities towards the armed Palestinian groups, which previously considered Syria one of their strongholds.