Syrian security forces executed two Hamas
men, a rebel-affiliated organization has reported. The Syrian Observatory for
Human Rights reported on its website on Wednesday that it had learned from
activists that the bodies of two Hamas men were found near a mosque in
Husseiniya on the outskirts of Damascus, after execution by Syrian forces. This
follows reports that Syrian troops had moved into the city to establish
control.
The Syrian leadership of Hamas left its base in the capital
earlier this year because of Assad’s crackdown on Sunnis.
The tensions
between Hamas and Syria were reflected in Syrian President Bashar Assad’s speech
on Sunday when he said, “I salute every honest Palestinian who valued the Syrian
stances and did not treat Syria as a hotel which he leaves when the service goes
downhill.”