{"id":126202,"date":"2025-12-02T17:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-12-02T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/?p=126202"},"modified":"2025-11-30T09:00:30","modified_gmt":"2025-11-30T07:00:30","slug":"30-00-103","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/?p=126202","title":{"rendered":"Palestinian Islamic Jihad Said to Be Expanding Military Presence in Syria With Government\u2019s Knowledge"},"content":{"rendered":"<hr>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.algemeiner.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"center alignleft\" src=\"http:\/\/www.reunion68.com\/Biuletyn\/img\/algem.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"35%\"><\/a><span style=\"text-decoration: underline; color: #000080;\"><span><strong><a style=\"color: #000080; text-decoration: underline;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.algemeiner.com\/2025\/11\/27\/palestinian-islamic-jihad-said-be-expanding-military-presence-syria-governments-knowledge\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Palestinian Islamic Jihad Said to Be Expanding Military Presence in Syria With Government\u2019s Knowledge<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Ailin Vilches Arguello<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<hr style=\"height: 15px; background: #d0e6fa; width: 100%;\">\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.algemeiner.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/2023-05-10T104714Z_1_LYNXMPEJ490FD_RTROPTP_4_ISRAEL-PALESTINIANS-VIOLENCE-1.jpg\" width=\"100%\"><span style=\"color: #808080;\"><em>Terrorists stand during the funeral of two Palestinian Islamic Jihad gunmen who were killed in an Israeli raid, in Jenin refugee camp, in the West Bank on May 10, 2023. Photo: REUTERS\/Raneen Sawafta<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\">The Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) terrorist group is reportedly expanding its military presence in Syria, a move that could put the Syrian government in violation of US conditions for restoring full diplomatic ties and&nbsp;<a style=\"color: #000080;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.algemeiner.com\/2025\/10\/21\/syria-hopes-full-lifting-us-sanctions-coming-months\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">lifting additional economic sanctions<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\">According to Israeli public broadcaster Kan News, PIJ has expanded its military wing \u2014 the al-Quds Brigades \u2014 within Syria in recent weeks, notably increasing activity in Palestinian refugee camps near Damascus, apparently with the full knowledge of the Syrian government.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><a style=\"color: #000080;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.algemeiner.com\/2025\/11\/10\/trump-vows-make-syria-successful-historic-white-house-meeting-president-ex-al-qaeda-commander\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa<\/a>&nbsp;is said to have appointed an envoy to oversee PIJ\u2019s activities in the country, responsible for facilitating communications between the Palestinian terrorist group and the government, Kan reported.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\">However, a government security source denied such accusations, saying there is \u201cno intention to allow military operations against Israel,\u201d which borders Syria.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\">PIJ also denied reports of intensified activity in Syria, saying they are entirely fabricated and intended to provoke hostility against the Palestinian people and their refugee camps.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\">Following the United States\u2019 recent statements that it does not support Israeli airstrikes in Syria, the embattled Middle Eastern country could now provide a particularly convenient base for PIJ, allowing the group to expand its operations with less risk of Israeli retaliation.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\">Under the Trump administration,&nbsp;<a style=\"color: #000080;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.algemeiner.com\/2025\/05\/13\/trump-says-will-remove-us-sanctions-syria-greet-syrian-president-saudi-arabia\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Washington has lifted sanctions on the Syrian government<\/a>&nbsp;to support the country\u2019s reconstruction efforts and pushed for Damascus to normalize relations with Israel. Earlier this month, US President Donald Trump hosted Sharaa for the first-ever visit by a<span class=\"highlight\" data-qa-component=\"highlight-text\">&nbsp;Syria<\/span>n president to Washington, DC, vowing to help Syria as the war-ravaged country struggles to come out of decades of international isolation.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\">To pave the way for the full restoration of US diplomatic relations, deeper economic ties, and the lifting of additional economic sanctions, Washington has set five conditions for the Syrian government, including deporting Palestinian militants, joining the Abraham Accords with Israel, and expelling foreign terrorists.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\">The government must also help prevent an Islamic State (ISIS) resurgence and take responsibility for detention facilities holding ISIS fighters, supporters, and their families in the northeast.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\">If the Syrian government is aware of the reported PIJ activity, it risks jeopardizing its relationship with Washington by effectively endorsing the operations of a designated foreign terrorist organization \u2014 in open defiance of a key condition for improving bilateral ties.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\">As Damascus seeks to restore international credibility and strengthen its standing on the global stage, Israeli officials have remained highly cautious of Syria\u2019s new leadership.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\">Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar&nbsp;has previously&nbsp;<a style=\"color: #000080;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.algemeiner.com\/2025\/02\/25\/israels-top-diplomat-says-little-hope-real-change-syria-hamas-islamic-jihad-open-new-front\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">described the current Syrian regime&nbsp;<\/a>as \u201ca jihadist Islamist terror group from Idlib that took Damascus by force.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\">He has even warned senior European officials that Hamas and PIJ were operating in Syria to create an additional front against Israel<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\">\u201cWe will not compromise the security on our border. Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad are acting in Syria to create another front against Israel there,\u201d the top Israeli diplomat said earlier this year.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\">According to Hebrew media reports, Defense Minister Israel Katz warned lawmakers in Israel\u2019s parliament, the Knesset, this week that armed groups operating inside Syria, including&nbsp;<a style=\"color: #000080;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.algemeiner.com\/2025\/10\/31\/houthis-say-detained-un-staff-face-trial-israeli-attack\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">the Yemen-based Houthis<\/a>, are considering launching attacks on the Golan Heights, a strategic region on Israel\u2019s northern border previously controlled by Syria.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\">Hamas, PIJ, and the Houthis are all backed by Iran, which provides the internationally designated terrorist groups with arms and funding.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\">Israel has consistently vowed to prevent the Syrian government from deploying forces in the country\u2019s southern region, along its northeastern border.<\/span><\/p>\n<p data-start=\"0\" data-end=\"351\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\">Sharaa, a former al Qaeda commander who until recently was sanctioned by the US as a foreign terrorist with a $10 million bounty on his head,&nbsp;<a style=\"color: #000080;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.algemeiner.com\/2025\/01\/30\/syrias-sharaa-declared-president-transition-consolidating-his-power\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">became Syria\u2019s&nbsp;transitional president<\/a>&nbsp;earlier this year after leading a rebel campaign that ousted long-time Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad, whose brutal and authoritarian Iran-backed rule had strained ties with the Arab world during the nearly 14-year Syrian war.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\">The&nbsp;<a style=\"color: #000080;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.algemeiner.com\/2024\/12\/09\/fall-assad-tectonic-shift-middle-east\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">collapse of Assad\u2019s regime<\/a>&nbsp;was the result of an offensive spearheaded by Sharaa\u2019s Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group, a former al Qaeda affiliate.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\">Following Assad\u2019s fall in December, Israel moved troops into a buffer zone along the Syrian border to secure a military position to prevent terrorists from launching attacks against the Jewish state.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\">The previously demilitarized zone in the Golan Heights was established under the 1974 Disengagement of Forces Agreement between Damascus and Jerusalem that ended the Yom Kippur War. However,&nbsp;<a style=\"color: #000080;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.algemeiner.com\/2025\/10\/29\/us-backed-efforts-bring-longtime-foes-israel-syria-closer-security-pact\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Israel considered the agreement void<\/a>&nbsp;after the collapse of Assad\u2019s regime.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\">Now, Israel and Syria are reportedly in the final stages of months-long negotiations over a security agreement that could establish a joint Israeli, Syrian, and US presence at key strategic locations.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\">Jerusalem and Damascus have agreed to form a joint Israeli-Syrian-American security committee to oversee developments along their shared border and uphold the terms of a proposed deal.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\">Al-Sharaa told&nbsp;<em>The Washington Post<\/em>&nbsp;earlier this month that his government has expelled Iranian and Hezbollah forces from Syria and is ready for a new phase of ties with the United States. However, Syria\u2019s reported knowledge of PIJ activity may be a hurdle as talks between Washington, Damascus, and Jerusalem proceed.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\">Earlier this year, tensions escalated&nbsp;<a style=\"color: #000080;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.algemeiner.com\/2025\/07\/16\/israel-launches-heavy-airstrikes-damascus-vowing-shie\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">after heavy fighting broke out in Sweida<\/a>&nbsp;between local Druze fighters and Syrian regime forces amid reports of atrocities against civilians.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\">At the time, Israel launched an airstrike campaign to protect the Druze, which officials described as a warning to the country\u2019s new leadership over threats to the minority group.&nbsp;The<span class=\"highlight\" data-qa-component=\"highlight-text\">&nbsp;Druze<\/span>,&nbsp;<a style=\"color: #000080;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.algemeiner.com\/2025\/03\/14\/druze-religious-elders-syria-make-historic-visit-israel\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">an Arab minority who practice<\/a>&nbsp;a religion originally derived<span class=\"highlight\" data-qa-component=\"highlight-text\">&nbsp;from&nbsp;<\/span>Islam, live in Israel, Syria, and Lebanon. In<span class=\"highlight\" data-qa-component=\"highlight-text\">&nbsp;Israel<\/span>, many serve in the military and police, including during the war in Gaza.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\">Jerusalem has pledged to defend the Druze community in Syria with military force if they come under threat \u2014 motivated in part by appeals from Israel\u2019s own Druze minority.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\">But the Syrian government has accused Israel of fueling instability and interfering in its internal affairs, while the new leadership insists it is focused on unifying the country after 14 years of conflict, which began with Assad violently cracking down on anti-government protests in 2011.<\/span><\/p>\n<hr style=\"height: 15px; background: #d0e6fa; width: 100%;\">\n<div id=\"content\" class=\"content-alignment\">\n<div id=\"watch-description\" class=\"yt-uix-button-panel\">\n<div id=\"watch-description-text\" style=\"text-align: center;\">\n<p><em>Zawarto\u015b\u0107 publikowanych artyku\u0142\u00f3w i materia\u0142\u00f3w nie reprezentuje pogl\u0105d\u00f3w ani opinii Reunion&#8217;68,<\/em><em><br \/>\nani te\u017c webmastera Blogu Reunion&#8217;68, chyba ze jest to wyra\u017anie zaznaczone.<br \/>\nTwoje uwagi, linki, w\u0142asne artyku\u0142y lub wiadomo\u015bci prze\u015blij na adres:<br \/>\n<\/em><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><strong><em><a style=\"color: #000080;\" href=\"mailto:webmaster@reunion68.com\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">webmaster@reunion68.com<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<hr style=\"width: 100%;\">\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Palestinian Islamic Jihad Said to Be Expanding Military Presence in Syria With Government\u2019s Knowledge Ailin Vilches Arguello Terrorists stand during the funeral of two Palestinian Islamic Jihad gunmen who were killed in an Israeli raid, in Jenin refugee camp, in the West Bank on May 10, 2023. Photo: REUTERS\/Raneen Sawafta The Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[6],"tags":[33,24],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/126202"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=126202"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/126202\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":126279,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/126202\/revisions\/126279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=126202"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=126202"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=126202"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}