Iranian Proxy Militias in Syria Open Recruitment to Support Hamas

Iranian proxy militias in Deir Ezzor
Iranian proxy militias in Deir Ezzor
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Iranian Proxy Militias in Syria Open Recruitment to Support Hamas

Iranian proxy militias in Deir Ezzor
Iranian proxy militias in Deir Ezzor

Iranian proxy militias in Syria kicked off a campaign to support and aid the Hamas movement that launched Operation Al-Aqsa Flood in Israel, local sources told Asharq Al-Awsat on Monday.

They said Iranian Revolutionary Guards militia commanders launched the campaign from cultural centers in the Deir Ezzor province to gather support for Hamas.

Also, public meetings were held to discuss the unprecedented escalation in Palestine. The militias launched donation campaigns and started accepting all those willing to engage in the fight against Israel on the southern Syrian front.

The director of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) Rami Abdul Rahman told Asharq Al-Awsat that Iranian proxy militias, including the Lebanese Hezbollah and the “Syrian Resistance for the Liberation of the Golan,” have ordered their fighters to stay on high alert within their positions in the western countryside of Damascus, at the borders with Lebanon and in the occupied Golan.

At the southern front on the border with the occupied Golan, several sources confirmed that government forces, allied militias affiliated with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard and Hezbollah members were placed on high alert in anticipation of an Israeli attack inside Syrian territory.

Meanwhile, the military leadership in Damascus called on officers, non-commissioned officers, and individuals working at airports and military institutions to join their work, and they also suspended leaves.

Sources reported frenzy movements by Iranian proxy militias near the Syria-Lebanon border in the Damascus countryside and areas near the border with the occupied Syrian Golan and Al-Qunaitrah countryside.

They brought in military and logistical reinforcement to fortify these positions, moved weapons to safer places and put on high alert to deal with any possible Israeli attacks, in light of the current situation in the occupied Palestinian territory.

Local sources said that weapons and military equipment had been transferred from warehouses belonging to Hezbollah and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard in the Damascus countryside and the vicinity of the Damascus International Airport, to the southern front.

Meanwhile, security sources told Syria’s Voice of the Capital website that special units from Hezbollah deployed along the border in southern Syria with the Syrian territories occupied by Israel.

The site also reported that Iranian Revolutionary Guard officer, Hajj Muhammad Assadullah, and fighters from the Revolutionary Guards, left the town of Sayyida Zeinab, south of Damascus, and headed to the Al-Quneitra governorate.

Assadullah and his group had supervised the transfer of drones from the headquarters of the Revolutionary Guards in Daraa Governorate to military sites close to the Golan Heights and the occupied Palestinian territories.

Meanwhile, Sada Al-Sharqiya website said the leadership of the Iranian militias in the city of Al Bukamal, located within areas of Iranian influence in Deir Ezzor governorate, held a meeting with their local fighters and called on them to donate in support of the resistance.

The site also reported that the security official in the Iranian Revolutionary Guard in Al Bukamal announced that the Guard’s leadership would move its members from Deir Ezzor to the Damascus countryside and Al-Quneitra.

Also, Naher Media website confirmed reports saying a convoy of 12 vehicles had entered on Sunday from Iraq to Syria from the border point controlled by Iran, east of Deir Ezzor.

The vehicles were moved in small batches for fear of being targeted by coalition or Israeli aircrafts. Al Bukamal residents were advised not to approach the main street where the convoy will pass, under penalty of punishment, adding that the final destination of the convoy was unknown.



Qatar Foreign Ministry: Hamas Political Office in Doha Has Not Been Permanently Closed

A file photo of two Palestinian fighters from the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Hamas movement, participating in a military parade near the border with Israel in central Gaza Strip, July 19, 2023 (Reuters).
A file photo of two Palestinian fighters from the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Hamas movement, participating in a military parade near the border with Israel in central Gaza Strip, July 19, 2023 (Reuters).
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Qatar Foreign Ministry: Hamas Political Office in Doha Has Not Been Permanently Closed

A file photo of two Palestinian fighters from the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Hamas movement, participating in a military parade near the border with Israel in central Gaza Strip, July 19, 2023 (Reuters).
A file photo of two Palestinian fighters from the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Hamas movement, participating in a military parade near the border with Israel in central Gaza Strip, July 19, 2023 (Reuters).

The political office of the Palestinian Hamas group in Doha has not been permanently closed, Qatari foreign ministry spokesperson Majed Al-Ansari said on Tuesday.
Al-Ansari said leaders of the Hamas negotiating team were not in Doha, reported Reuters.
Qatar said last week it had told Hamas and Israel that it will suspend efforts to mediate a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal until both show seriousness about resuming talks. Doha also said media reports that it had told Hamas to leave the Gulf Arab country were not accurate.

Qatar, which is home to a major US military base, has hosted Hamas's political leadership since 2012 with Washington's blessing.

During the talks after Hamas's October 7 attack on Israel last year, both Qatari and US officials indicated that the militant group would remain in Doha as long as its presence offered a viable channel of communication.