Syria Tells Armed Palestinian Factions: Pack Up and Go
In a move few would have predicted a year ago, Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa is giving Tehran-backed Palestinian factions the boot—part of an effort to cozy up to Washington and rebrand Syria’s regional role. As The Media Line’s Rizik Alabi reports, the transformation is most visible in Yarmouk Camp, long a stronghold of Palestinian armed groups in Damascus. Today, their banners are gone, offices shuttered, and leaders either arrested or fleeing town.
This cleanup comes hot on the heels of al-Sharaa’s headline-grabbing handshake with President Donald Trump in Riyadh, where the American president reportedly floated the idea of Syria joining the Abraham Accords. Syria hasn’t gone that far yet, but dismantling faction headquarters and demanding disarmament is a clear signal to the US—and to Gulf states—that Damascus is serious about change.
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It’s also about control. Syrian Defense Minister Marhaf Abu Qasra says all armed actors must now fall under one chain of command: the state’s. No more rogue outfits running their own agendas. That might please Washington, where officials have long worried about Syria acting as a safe haven for anti-Israel groups. It could also help Syria make a case to end Israel’s airstrikes on its territory.
But don’t call it a done deal just yet. Iran affairs researcher Leila Khuzam cautions that Damascus still has one foot in the Resistance Axis. This could all be a performance to unlock Gulf cash and US goodwill—without fully cutting ties to Iran.
Whether this is window dressing or a genuine realignment remains to be seen. But as Alabi shows, Syria is playing a new hand—and for once, it’s looking West.
