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Moroccan Authorities Stop Migration Attempt into Spanish Enclave of Ceuta

Members of Morocco's police arrest a man as they deploy to prevent illegal crossings of the land border fence with Spain's African enclave of Ceuta near Fnideq in northern Morocco on September 15, 2024. (Photo by AFP)
Members of Morocco's police arrest a man as they deploy to prevent illegal crossings of the land border fence with Spain's African enclave of Ceuta near Fnideq in northern Morocco on September 15, 2024. (Photo by AFP)
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Moroccan Authorities Stop Migration Attempt into Spanish Enclave of Ceuta

Members of Morocco's police arrest a man as they deploy to prevent illegal crossings of the land border fence with Spain's African enclave of Ceuta near Fnideq in northern Morocco on September 15, 2024. (Photo by AFP)
Members of Morocco's police arrest a man as they deploy to prevent illegal crossings of the land border fence with Spain's African enclave of Ceuta near Fnideq in northern Morocco on September 15, 2024. (Photo by AFP)

Moroccan security forces stopped groups of people who sought to force their way across the border into Spain’s North African enclave of Ceuta following a call on social networks for a mass migration attempt, authorities said.
Some attempted to breach a border fence that has long been a flashpoint for sporadic migration tensions, but none successfully made it into Spain, the Spanish Interior Ministry said Monday. It said Spanish and Moroccan security efforts over recent days ″allowed the situation to be brought under control."
Online messages in recent days had called for people to head for Ceuta on Sunday to cross the border into Europe. Videos posted by local networks showed groups of people in the hills around the Moroccan border town of Fnideq, and a heightened Moroccan security presence, including helicopters.
Moroccan authorities also arrested 60 people suspected of inciting a mass migration attempt on social networks, Moroccan intelligence agency DGSN said in a Facebook post.

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Islamic Jihad Says it Received Assurances Over Arrest of its Leaders in Damascus

Senior Islamic Jihad official in Syria Khaled Khaled. File photo
Senior Islamic Jihad official in Syria Khaled Khaled. File photo
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Islamic Jihad Says it Received Assurances Over Arrest of its Leaders in Damascus

Senior Islamic Jihad official in Syria Khaled Khaled. File photo
Senior Islamic Jihad official in Syria Khaled Khaled. File photo

A senior figure in the Palestinian Islamic Jihad revealed that the group has received “assurances” from Syrian authorities on the recent arrest of two of its senior officials in Damascus.

Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat on condition of anonymity, the Damascus-based official said: “We believe what happened was a misunderstanding, and we have received assurances that the matter will be resolved. We are keen on Syria’s security and stability.”

The group’s military wing, Saraya al-Quds, which is active in the Palestinian territories, issued a statement on Wednesday confirming that Syrian authorities had detained two of its leaders. They are Khaled Khaled, Islamic Jihad’s top official in Syria, and Abu Ali Yasser, head of the movement’s organizational committee in Syria.

The statement did not specify the reasons for the arrests and called for their release.

Syrian authorities have not issued any official comment or clarification regarding the arrests. Attempts by Asharq Al-Awsat to reach Syria’s General Intelligence Directorate for comment went unsuccessful.

The Islamic Jihad official criticized the manner in which the arrests were carried out, describing them as “abductions from the street” rather than formal summons or notifications.

He said the movement’s offices in Damascus remain open and continue to operate. “In practice, Islamic Jihad’s offices in Syria are solely focused on humanitarian and relief work.”

He also expressed belief that the arrests were unrelated to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ recent visit to Damascus or to any American demands. Abbas met with Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa last Friday.

“We have great confidence in the Syrian government’s support for the Palestinian cause, and we believe there is no shift in Syria’s stance toward Palestine,” the official said.

Addressing local media reports and social media rumors suggesting the arrests were linked to alleged collaboration with Iran in planning sabotage operations in Syria, the official dismissed the claims.

“Islamic Jihad’s relationship with Iran is well-known, and all communication takes place at the leadership level and not through individuals,” he said. “There is no direct contact between our rank-and-file members and Iran.”

Despite the turmoil in Syria following the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, Islamic Jihad has maintained its presence in the country. Its offices in Damascus have been targeted multiple times by Israeli airstrikes, most recently on March 13, when an unoccupied house belonging to Secretary-General Ziyad al-Nakhalah in the Mezzah-Dummar district was hit.

This is reportedly the first time that Islamic Jihad leaders have been arrested in Syria, a country that once hosted over 13 different Palestinian factions.