The statement from the Palestinian Islamic Jihad expressed its surprise at the action, stating that "we did not expect to see this from brothers whose land has always been a refuge for loyal and free people. […] We trust that our brothers in the Syrian government will soon release our detained comrades."
The reference to "brothers" alluded to the prolonged settlement of the group's leaders and terrorists in Damascus, including its top leader, Ziad Nakhaleh.
According to Sky News Arabia, this is the first detention of Palestinian figures carried out by the new Syrian regime. The network recalled that, at one time, up to 13 Palestinian factions operated from Damascus, although it is currently unknown how many remain after the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime.
Assad's government, overthrown on December 8, was a strategic ally of Iran, a country that supports the Palestinian Islamic Jihad and other Palestinian armed organizations. It is worth remembering that Islamic Jihad fighters actively participated in the October 7 attack against Israel and have frequently clashed with the Israel Defense Forces in the northern West Bank.
This news caused speculations about the reasons behind the detention of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad members. According to Middle East Eye, the action "appears to be an attempt to respond to the demands of the United States in search of sanctions relief."
In the same vein, the Iranian state channel Press TV argued that the Syrian government might have taken the measure to "please the United States."










