Palestinian source disputes Israeli claim that Hamas, PIJ have add'l Syrian front - report

Neither Hamas nor the Palestinian Islamic Jihad have a military presence in Syria, a Palestinian source based in Damascus told Qatari-owned news outlet The New Arab on Saturday. The report came after Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar made remarks last Monday, where he said that Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad are operating in Syria to create an additional front against Israel.Sa'ar made these statements during a meeting with senior European officials in Brussels. He also said the new Syrian government led by interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa is a "Jihadist Islamist terror group."

The Palestinian source added that such an allegation is a lie made up by Israel "to cover up its plans regarding Syria after the fall of the Assad regime." Later on Thursday, Defense Minister Israel Katz said that the IAF had struck Syrian regime positions earlier this week after the new government in Damascus attempted to deploy forces in demilitarized zones near Israel’s border. Referring to Syria's new government as a "regime," Katz said that they "attempted to staff positions and outposts, and the air force struck and neutralized them."

Katz added that Israel’s presence in strategic locations in southern Syria would continue indefinitely to prevent any influence from the Islamic Republic of Iran as well as other terrorist attacks that could threaten Israel's security. The minister also said last Saturday that "We will not allow southern Syria to become southern Lebanon."  (Source)