Hamas denies reducing Syrian presence

Sources from Hamas denied to "Arabstoday" that they were reducing their presence in Syria, asserting that the leadership of the movement would remain there as if nothing had changed. The sources added on Monday that certain members had left Syria for personal reasons, and that it had nothing to do with the Hamas leadership’s position. They insisted that leading Hamas officials still remained in Damascus, the Syrian capital. Israel's Haaretz newspaper had earlier reported that Hamas was looking for alternative political leadership in Damascus, which led the Iranian leadership to send a clear message to the head of the Hamas politburo, Khaled Meshaal, that it would stop its financial and armed support of Hamas if it leaves Damascus. According to the article published on Monday, many Hamas members in the second and third ranks are leaving Syria and heading for Gaza, in an effort to evacuate Hamas offices in Damascus. It stated that the first rank is still present, including Meshaal, saying that as soon as the movement found an alternative to Damascus, it would move out due to the deterioration of conditions in Syria. Israeli sources had cited a few days ago the arrival of several Hamas members in Gaza from Syria, saying that dozens of Hamas activists returned quietly from Damascus in anticipation of the “mysterious" future of Syrian president Bashar Al-Assad.