ISLAMABAD: Palestinian group Islamic Jihad stated on Sunday one of its military commanders had been shot dead in Syria in an assassination. The Iran-backed organization blamed the incident on Israeli agents.
The group, which is based in the Gaza Strip, said Ali Ramzi al-Aswad, 31, had been killed on early Sunday “by agents of the Zionist (Israeli) enemy” in the countryside near the Syrian capital Damascus.
An Islamic Jihad official, who preferred to stay unnamed, told AFP that the killing was carried out by direct shooting near his house.
The Islamic Jihad said that Aswad, a Palestinian refugee who had been living in a Syrian camp and was also known by the name of Abu Abed al-Rahman, was a member of the group’s Al-Quds Brigade armed wing.
Many leaders of Islamic Jihad have been based in Syria’s capital
Many of the group’s top leaders have been Damascus based, and the killing is the latest reported targeting of the group by Israel.
Since the civil war started in Syria around 12 years ago, Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes in the neighboring country, targeting Syrian government troops, Iran-backed forces as well as Lebanon’s Hezbollah fighters.
Only on rare occasions the Israeli military gives statements on single strikes against Syria, but has vowed repeatedly to maintain its air campaign to stop arch-enemy Iran from consolidating its presence.
Last week, Israeli airstrikes targeting an ammunition depot in Syria killed 1 military officer and 2 pro-Iran fighters, stated the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor.
