Two Islamic Jihad leaders arrested in Syria

The new Syrian authorities have arrested Khaled Khaled, the leader of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement in Syria, and Abu Ali Yasser, the head of the organization’s organizing committee.

According to the Al-Quds-Al-Arabi agency, Khaled’s arrest came less than 48 hours after Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas visited Damascus and met with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa.

Several Islamic Jihad headquarters in the capital Damascus have been hit by Israeli airstrikes several times, most recently on March 13, when an Israeli missile struck the home of Islamic Jihad Secretary General Ziad al-Nahal in the Dumar region north of Damascus.

More than 13 Palestinian groups operate in Syria. This is the first arrest of Palestinian activists on Syrian territory.

Islamic Jihad is one of the Palestinian factions that did not leave Syria after the fall of the previous regime, as it did not support it, unlike some groups that left Syria.