The Action Group – Syria
Palestinian sources denied recent reports of the departure and deportation of Palestinian leaders and factions from Syria, stressing that most of the leaders are still present in the country.
Private sources told the Action Group that “most of the Palestinian leaders have not left Syria” and have not been deported, noting that what was circulated on some news websites is not based on accurate information.
These statements come in light of media reports that spoke of the deportation of some Palestinian faction leaders from Syria following the recent political changes in the country. The Lebanese newspaper “An-Nahar” previously reported that some faction leaders left Syria voluntarily after the fall of the Assad regime.
Three months ago, the new Syrian authorities launched a campaign to dismantle armed Palestinian factions that were allied with the former regime, including forcing them to surrender their weapons and limiting their role to social and charitable activities.
It’s worth noting that last April, Syrian authorities arrested two leaders of the Islamic Jihad movement in Damascus: Khaled Khaled, the movement’s official in Syria, and Abu Ali Yasser, head of the organizing committee for the Syrian arena. This arrest raised questions about the fate of Palestinian factions in Syria and the administration’s approach to dealing with them.