Palestinian Islamic Jihad denies reports of military buildup in Syria

The Palestinian paramilitary movement Islamic Jihad has denied reports that it is strengthening its military presence in Syrian territory, stressing that the published information is “entirely fabricated” and aimed at sowing discord among Palestinians in Syrian camps.

In a statement, the movement said that claims circulating in Israeli media and on social networks about the expansion of its military wing, the Al-Quds Brigades, in Palestinian camps near Damascus are “completely unfounded,” per Syria TV.

Earlier, Israel’s Broadcasting Authority published a report alleging that the movement had been working for several weeks to build large military forces in Syria in cooperation with Hamas, increasing its presence in Lebanon and expanding collaboration with Hezbollah.

The report claimed that the Syrian government was aware of these activities and added that Damascus had appointed an envoy to facilitate communication between Islamic Jihad leadership and Syrian authorities.

In response, Islamic Jihad stated that the aim of these claims is “to sow discord and incite against the Palestinian people and the Palestinian camps,” emphasising that it has no military formations on Syrian territory.

In April last year, Syrian authorities arrested two leaders of Islamic Jihad, Khaled Khaled and Yasir al-Zafari, as part of a security campaign targeting Palestinian figures linked to armed groups within Syria.

By Khagan Isayev