Hamas congratulated the people of Syria this Monday (9) for achieving their “aspirations for freedom and justice” after the end of the Bashar al-Assad regime.
This is the Palestinian group’s first public comment since rebel forces invaded the Syrian capital, Damascus, on Sunday (8), after a lightning advance that sent Assad fleeing to Russia.
“We stand firmly with the great people of Syria and respect the will, independence and political choices of the people of Syria,” said the armed group that governs the Gaza Strip in a statement.
Hamas stressed that it hopes that post-Assad Syria will continue “its historic and fundamental role in supporting the Palestinian people.”
Troubled relationship between Hamas and Assad
The group publicly supported the 2011 Sunni Muslim uprising against Assad’s government and vacated its headquarters in Damascus in 2012, a move that angered Iran, an ally of Assad and the Palestinian group.
Hamas, whose ideological roots come from the Sunni Muslim Brotherhood, has distanced itself from Assad — a member of the minority Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shiite Islam — as he cracks down on protesters and rebels, mainly Sunni Muslims.
In 2022, they decided to restore ties with the Assad government and sent a delegation to Damascus, where Hamas leaders met with the president in hopes of repairing relations.
Difference in response between Hamas and Hezbollah
Syria and Iran have formed an “axis of resistance” with Lebanon’s Hezbollah and Palestinian militant groups to oppose Israel.
Hamas’s positive response to Assad’s fall contrasted with that of Shi’ite Muslim Hezbollah, which played an important role supporting the president during years of war.
Assad’s Syria has long served as a vital conduit for Iran to supply weapons to the Lebanese group.
A senior Hezbollah politician on Monday described events in Syria as a “great, dangerous and new transformation.”
Islamic Jihad also speaks out
In another statement, Ziad al-Nakhala, head of Islamic Jihad, a group supported by Iran and an ally of Hamas, also addressed the relationship with Syria.
“Islamic Jihad hopes that Syria will continue to be a real support for the Palestinian people, their just cause, as it always has been,” said Nakhala.
Understand the conflict in Syria
The Assad family regime was overthrown in Syria on December 8, after 50 years in power, when rebel groups took over the capital Damascus.
President Bashar al-Assad fled the country and is in Moscow after seeking asylum, according to a source in Russia. Syria’s civil war began during the Arab Spring in 2011, when Bashar al-Assad’s regime suppressed a pro uprising. -democracy.
The country was plunged into full-scale conflict when a rebel force was formed, known as the Free Syrian Army, to fight government troops.
Furthermore, the Islamic State, a terrorist group, also managed to gain a foothold in the country and came to control 70% of Syrian territory.
Fighting escalated as other regional actors and world powers — from Saudi Arabia, Iran, the United States to Russia — joined in, escalating the country’s war into what some observers described as a “proxy war.”
Russia has allied with Bashar al-Assad’s government to combat the Islamic State and rebels, while the United States has led an international coalition to repel the terrorist group.
After a ceasefire agreement in 2020, the conflict remained largely “dormant”, with minor clashes between the rebels and the Assad regime.
More than 300,000 civilians have been killed in more than a decade of war, according to the UN, and millions of people have been displaced across the region.
Who is the family of Bashar al-Assad, who ruled Syria for more than half a century
This content was originally published in Hamas congratulates Syrians on the end of the Assad government on the CNN Brasil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
Bruce Belcher is a seasoned author with over 5 years of experience in world news. He writes for online news websites and provides in-depth analysis on the world stock market. Bruce is known for his insightful perspectives and commitment to keeping the public informed.
