Syrian authorities announced on Tuesday, April 22, 2025, the detention of two senior members of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad militia in Damascus: Khaled Khaled, head of its operations in Syria, and Yasser al-Zafari, leader of its organizing committee. The announcement, issued via an official statement and confirmed by an Interior Ministry source, marks an unprecedented move against Palestinian faction leaders in Syria under the new interim government.
According to the Al Quds Brigades, the militia’s armed wing, both men have been held in custody for five days “without any explanation of the reasons,” prompting the group to demand their immediate release. The statement described the detentions as a betrayal by “brothers” and criticized the opaque manner in which the arrests were conducted.
Neither the Interior Ministry nor other official channels have publicly disclosed the motive behind the arrests. A Palestinian source in Damascus corroborated the detentions but declined to provide details, underscoring the secretive nature of the operation.
The arrests followed days after Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’s visit to Damascus on April 18, his first trip to Syria since 2007, during which he met interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa. Media reports indicate the detentions occurred within 48 hours of that summit, suggesting a potential link between high-level diplomatic engagements and the decision to crack down on Palestinian armed groups.
Palestinian Islamic Jihad, which alongside its ally Hamas participated in the October 2023 attacks on Israel from Gaza, has historically received funding and logistical support from Iran while maintaining operational hubs in Syria and Lebanon. The group’s networks were long tolerated by the Assad regime in Damascus, but recent political changes have strained Syria’s ties with Tehran and weakened its regional proxy apparatus.
Reuters reported that Washington has conditioned partial relief from U.S. sanctions on Damascus, in part, on reducing collaboration with Iran-backed Palestinian militias. Analysts interpret the arrest of Khaled and al-Zafari as a strategic gesture to demonstrate Syria’s compliance with international demands, potentially unlocking much-needed economic assistance for war-torn reconstruction.
Israel has conducted air and ground strikes against Islamic Jihad positions in Syria for years, including a recent attack on a building near Damascus alleged to be a command centre—claims denied by the militia. In Gaza, Islamic Jihad’s leadership said it had received “assurances” from Syrian authorities regarding the detainees and reiterated calls for their prompt release, reflecting broader regional tensions over the group’s presence and operations on Syrian soil.
Observers note that this marks the first instance of Syria’s new interim rulers targeting Palestinian faction officials, signaling an assertive stance toward sovereignty and alliance recalibration. As Damascus seeks to rebuild international ties and lift sanctions after a 14-year civil war, the move against Islamic Jihad may reshape power dynamics across the Middle East, heralding a new chapter of pragmatic diplomacy over entrenched ideological alignments.
