Hamas congratulates Syrians on ending Assad’s rule

CAIRO – Palestinian group Hamas congratulated the Syrian people on Dec 9 for achieving their “aspirations for freedom and justice” after toppling Syria’s former president Bashar al-Assad.

It was Hamas’ first public comment since rebel forces swept into the Syrian capital Damascus on Dec 8 after a lightning advance that sent Dr Assad fleeing to Russia after a 13-year civil war and six decades of his family’s autocratic rule.

“We stand strongly with the great people of Syria… and respect the will, the independence, and the political choices of the people of Syria,” the Islamist faction that has been governing the Gaza Strip said in a statement.

Hamas said it hoped that post-Assad Syria would continue “its historical and pivotal role in supporting the Palestinian people”.

In a separate statement, head of the Islamic Jihad Ziad al-Nakhala echoed that sentiment. The Iranian-backed group is an ally of Hamas.

“The Islamic Jihad hopes Syria will remain a real support for the Palestinian people, their just cause, as it has always been,” he said.

Hamas publicly endorsed the 2011 Sunni Muslim street uprising against Dr Assad’s rule and vacated its Damascus headquarters in 2012, a move that angered Iran, an ally of both Dr Assad and the Palestinian group.

Hamas, whose ideological roots stem from the Sunni Islamist Muslim Brotherhood, distanced itself from Dr Assad – a member of the minority Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shi’ite Islam – as he cracked down on the mainly Sunni Muslim protesters and rebels.

The Palestinian group decided in 2022 to restore ties with the Assad government and sent a delegation to Damascus, where Hamas leaders met Dr Assad in the hope of repairing relations.

Dr Assad’s Syria and Iran formed an “axis of resistance” with Lebanon’s Hezbollah movement and Palestinian militant groups to oppose Israel.

Hamas’ positive response to the fall of Dr Assad contrasted with that of Shi’ite Muslim Hezbollah, which played a major part propping up Dr Assad through years of war. Dr Assad’s Syria long served as a vital conduit for Iran to supply arms to the group.

A senior Hezbollah politician on Dec 9 described events in Syria as a “major, dangerous and new transformation”. REUTERS