Hezbollah, IRGC had key in Hamas-Assad meeting: Exclusive
Hamas deputy chief Khalil Al-Hayya tells Al Mayadeen that Hezbollah and the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps had a major role in the restoration of ties with Syria.
The step taken today in Syria, the reconciliation between Palestinian resistance faction Hamas and Damascus, will be followed by another step that will see ties deepen to the benefit of the Resistance, Hamas deputy political leader Khalil Al-Hayya told Al Mayadeen on Wednesday.
"Hamas is resuming its relationship with our dear Syria. And this is a unanimous decision taken by Hamas's leadership. It was taken with the conviction that this is the right path and that we need to move on from the past," Al-Hayya had said earlier.
The deputy political leader's words mark a new era for the Axis of Resistance, one that sees more unity among the parties to the anti-imperialist axis following years of strained ties between Syria and Hamas.
"Our brothers in Hezbollah and the IRGC had a huge role in arranging the meeting, as well as various other meetings that took place earlier," Al-Hayya told Al Mayadeen.
Al Mayadeen's correspondent reported Wednesday that the meeting between Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad and the Palestinian factions delegation, including Hamas, kicked off.
Earlier, Hamas confirmed that a delegation from the movement's leadership would arrive in Damascus on Wednesday for an official visit for the first time since 2012.
"Hezbollah and the IRGC are our allies. And we will never renounce the supporters of the Palestinian people," Al-Hayya underlined.
The Palestinian forces and factions affirmed on Wednesday after meeting with Al-Assad in Damascus that resistance was the only way to restore rights.
In a statement following the meeting, the factions affirmed that Al-Assad stressed that the unity of the Palestinian ranks is the guarantee for restoring the rights of the Palestinian people.
In the same context, the Secretary-General of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine General Command, Talal Naji, expressed the Front's happiness with the restoration of relations between Syria and Hamas.
The visit comes after non-public negotiations between Hamas and the Syrian leadership, mediated by Lebanese Hezbollah, which discussed the disagreements that led the movement to leave Damascus in 2012.
On September 15, Hamas announced in a statement that it would restore its relations with Syria, which "has been supporting the Palestinian people and the Palestinian resistance factions for decades."