AFP: Hamas looking to mend ties with Syria after decade-long hiatus

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The Palestinian resistance faction Hamas is working on a rapprochement with Syria following a decade-long hiatus of bilateral relations, a senior Hamas official said on Tuesday, as quoted by Agence France-Presse.

"Communication with Syria is improving and is on its way to being entirely restored to what it used to be," the official told AFP under the condition of anonymity.

This comes in light of several visits made by the group to Syria, the official said. "Syria supports the Palestinian people and cause, and Hamas is devoted to its relationship with Syria and all Arab countries," AFP quoted him as saying.

The Syrian government declined to comment on the reports of warming ties with the Palestinian resistance factions.

The deterioration of ties between Hamas and Damascus since 2011 led the group to abandon its headquarters in Syria, subsequently relocating to Doha, Qatar, and Istanbul, Turkey.

Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh had arrived in Beirut on Tuesday as part of a diplomatic visit aimed at "strengthening cooperation and fraternity between the Palestinian and the Lebanese people," Hamas said in a statement.

The statement also said that Haniyeh will represent the Palestinian Resistance in a speech at the 31st Islamic-Nationalist Conference in Beirut.

Haniyeh had visited Lebanon in June 2021, following the Seif Al-Quds battle and the victory achieved by the Palestinian resistance, meeting with officials from the Lebanese government and resistance.