Syrian security forces arrest two Palestinian Islamic Jihad leaders in Damascus

Syrian security forces arrested two Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) leaders in Damascus on Sunday evening, local reports said.

The individuals were identified as Khaled Khaled, the head of the PIJ movement, and Abu Ali Yasser, the head of the group’s organising committee in Syria. No official reason has yet been given for the arrest.

The arrests came less than 48 hours after Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ visit to Damascus, where he held a meeting with President Ahmed al-Sharaa. The visit marked the Palestinian leaders’ first trip to Syria since the ouster of Bashar al-Assad.

Abbas raised several key issues in the meeting, including bilateral relations, the condition of Palestinians in Syria, and the reconstruction of the Yarmouk camp.

The al-Quds Brigades, the PIJ's military wing, issued a statement shortly after, confirming the arrests and calling on the Syrian government to release them immediately. 

Informed sources told The New Arab's sister site, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, that the arrests took place as part of a security operation and there were no criminal or political charges.

The group said the leaders have a significant impact on Palestinian work and will likely be interrogated before being released. 

The arrests mark the first time Palestinian leaders have been arrested in Syria, reports state, despite at least 13 Palestinian factions operating in the country.

There has since been a significant push by Palestinian and Arab leaders both inside and outside Syria to pressure authorities to release the leaders, Palestinian sources told local media.

Some Palestinian factions, such as the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, left Syria over the years after their offices were shut down due to their involvement in abuses against Syrians while fighting alongside the now-ousted Bashar al-Assad regime.

Several PIJ headquarters in Damascus have also been targeted by Israeli airstrikes in recent months, the latest occurring on 13 March, when the movement’s secretary-general Ziad al-Nakhalah, was targeted.

The arrests come days after the US administration issued a plan that outlines conditions for rebuilding diplomatic relations with Syria and lifting sanctions on the country.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the US is pressuring the Syrian government to prevent armed Palestinian factions from operating and raising funds in the country, and is also calling for the expulsion of their members.

The move could be seen as potentially sparking a confrontation with Palestinian groups who had been based in Syria for decades, the outlet added.

Since assuming the presidency, al-Sharaa has pledged to improve international relations and has called for the removal of sanctions on Syria to help rebuild the economy after more than a decade of unrest.

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, estimates there are around 438,000 Palestinians in Syria, with more than 40 percent of them internally displaced.