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Syria Detains Two Leaders of Palestinian ‘Jihad’

The head of the Islamic Jihad's operations in Syria, Khaled Khaled. File photo
The head of the Islamic Jihad's operations in Syria, Khaled Khaled. File photo
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Syria Detains Two Leaders of Palestinian ‘Jihad’

The head of the Islamic Jihad's operations in Syria, Khaled Khaled. File photo
The head of the Islamic Jihad's operations in Syria, Khaled Khaled. File photo

Syrian authorities have detained two senior members of the Palestinian militant faction Islamic Jihad, which took part in the October 2023 attacks on Israel from Gaza, the group's armed wing and a Syrian official said on Tuesday.
In a statement, the Al Quds Brigades said Khaled Khaled, who heads Islamic Jihad's operations in Syria, and Yasser al-Zafari, who heads its organizational committee, had been in Syrian custody for five days.
The group said the men had been detained "without any explanation of the reasons" and "in a manner we would not have hoped to see from brothers", and called for their release.
An official from Syria's interior ministry confirmed the detentions, but did not respond to Reuters follow-up questions on why the pair had been arrested. A Palestinian source in Damascus also confirmed the arrests.
Islamic Jihad joined its ally Hamas, Gaza's ruling group, in the attack on Israel in 2023. It is a recipient of Iranian funding and know-how, and has long had foreign headquarters in Syria and Lebanon.

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Syrian Presidency Says Ceasefire in Place, Urges Parties to Respect it

Bedouin fighters from various provinces gather at Umayyad Square in Damascus, Syria, Saturday, July 19, 2025, before heading to the southern province of Sweida to join clashes between Bedouin clans and Druze fighters. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)
Bedouin fighters from various provinces gather at Umayyad Square in Damascus, Syria, Saturday, July 19, 2025, before heading to the southern province of Sweida to join clashes between Bedouin clans and Druze fighters. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)
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Syrian Presidency Says Ceasefire in Place, Urges Parties to Respect it

Bedouin fighters from various provinces gather at Umayyad Square in Damascus, Syria, Saturday, July 19, 2025, before heading to the southern province of Sweida to join clashes between Bedouin clans and Druze fighters. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)
Bedouin fighters from various provinces gather at Umayyad Square in Damascus, Syria, Saturday, July 19, 2025, before heading to the southern province of Sweida to join clashes between Bedouin clans and Druze fighters. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)

The Syrian government said its internal security forces began deploying in Sweida on Saturday as the presidency called on all parties to respect a ceasefire following bloodshed in the area that has left hundreds dead.

In a statement, the Syrian presidency announced an immediate and comprehensive ceasefire and urged all parties to commit to it and end hostilities in all areas immediately.

The country's interior ministry spokesperson said earlier on Saturday that internal security forces had begun deploying in Sweida, in southern Syria.

US envoy Tom Barrack announced on Friday that Syria and Israel had agreed to a ceasefire. Israel intervened in the conflict earlier this week, hitting government forces and the defense ministry building in Damascus as it declared support for the Druze minority.

Syria's Sweida province has been engulfed by nearly a week of violence which began with clashes between Bedouin fighters and Druze factions, before drawing in government security forces that were sent to the area by Damascus.