Alerts

The Ties Between the Nusra Front – the Syrian al Qaeda Affiliate – and Hamas

Does Hamas Chief Khaled Mashaal run two other jihadi groups now on the Golan Heights?
Share this
The Ties Between the Nusra Front – the Syrian al Qaeda Affiliate – and Hamas

Table of Contents

With the news that the terrorist organization Jabhat al-Nusra (al Nusra Front)1 is one of the organizations that took control of the Kuneitra Crossing on the Golan Heights on August 27, 2014, attention should be paid to the close ties between al-Nusra and Hamas, specifically the role played by Khaled Mashaal in establishing and directing the terror groups.

Jabhat al-Nusra is a Syrian organization considered to be a militant outgrowth of the Muslim Brotherhood Movement.  In effect, it serves as the Syrian version of Hamas which is a military arm of the Muslim Brotherhood in the Palestinian political world.

In the Yarmouk Palestinian camp located in Damascus, Jabhat al-Nusra is allied with another terrorist organization, Aknaf Bayt al-Maqdis (Environs of Jerusalem). The difference between them: Jabhat al-Nusra is a Syrian movement, and Aknaf Bayt al-Maqdis is spread across the entire Middle East, especially in Lebanon and Sinai. But both – like Hamas – belong to the military wing of the Muslim Brotherhood2, and all of them are supported financially by Qatar.3

Hamas Leader Khaled Mashaal Expands His Terror Domain

The Lebanese news website Ertikaz published important information4 on the circumstances behind the establishment of the two movements in the Yarmouk camp, and it is clear that no less a figure than Hamas’ Khaled Mashaal stands behind both of them — almost certainly from the time he was given protection by the Syrian regime prior to the Syrian rebellion.

According to Ertikaz, Khaled Mashaal’s bodyguard was Muhammad Zaghmout, whose family lives in Gaza.  Zaghmout and additional Palestinians who hold key positions in both movements are “graduates” of Afghanistan fighting and filled various posts in Khaled Mashaal’s military organization. According to this report, Aknaf Bayt al-Maqdis is the leading organization and al Nusra coordinates with it.

Zaghmout — Mashaal’s former bodyguard — serves as the commander of both the Aknaf Bayt al-Maqdis and al Nusra, Ertikaz reports.

As long as the terror groups were combatting Syrian President Assad, Al Nusra and the Islamic State (previously ISIS) cooperated on several fronts. After they defeated Assad’s forces, however, they began to fight among themselves for exclusive control in those same areas, such as Raqqa and Deir ez-Zour and the Lebanese front.  Right now in the area of Arsal in Lebanon, the Islamic State and al Nusra are fighting together against the Lebanese Army and Hizbullah.5

In this battle for control of Sunni jihadist forces, Ayman al Zawahiri, leader of Al Qaeda, supported Al Nusra against ISIS.6 Why?  Because Zawahiri is the leader of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood, and the Salafi movement in the Arabian Peninsula is not prepared to accept his leadership.

The implication for Hamas: While the Ikhwani (Muslim Brotherhood) Qatar supports Hamas and al Nusra, Saudi Arabia opposes Hamas and declared that the Islamic State and al Nusra are terrorist organizations just like Hamas.

The possible takeover of Kuneitra by al Nusra and/or Aknaf Bayt al-Maqdis means that Hamas’ Khaled Mashaal will have another front against Israel – this one in the north.

 * * *

Notes

1 See also Amos Harel, “New Enemies across Syrian Border” Ha’aretz, August 26, 2014 https://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/.premium-1.612621
2 One of the Muslim Brotherhood sites states that Hamas established the Abdallah Azzam Brigades, another terror organization tied to Al Nusra and Aknaf Bayt al-Maqdis, and spread across the entire Middle East.  https://www.ikhwanwiki.com/index.php?title=%D8%B5%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AD_%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D8%A7%D8%B1%D9%88%D8%B1%D9%8A
https://pinhasinbariblog.wordpress.com/tag/nusra/
https://www.ertikaz.org/?q=node/18455
https://www.aljazeera.net/news/reportsandinterviews/2014/8/3/%D8%B9%D8%B1%D8%B3%D8%A7%D9%84-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%84%D8%A8%D9%86%D8%A7%D9%86%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D9%81%D9%8A-%D9%82%D8%A8%D8%B6%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%86%D8%B5%D8%B1%D8%A9-%D9%88%D8%AA%D9%86%D8%B8%D9%8A%D9%85-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AF%D9%88%D9%84%D8%A9
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A182rGoC_GE

Pinhas Inbari

Pinhas Inbari is a veteran Arab affairs correspondent who formerly reported for Israel Radio and Al Hamishmar newspaper, and currently serves as an analyst for the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs.
Share this

Invest in JCFA

Subscribe to Daily Alert

The Daily Alert – Israel news digest appears every Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday.

Related Items

Stay Informed, Always

Get the latest news, insights, and updates directly in your inbox—be the first to know!

Subscribe to Jerusalem Issue Briefs
The Daily Alert – Israel news digest appears every Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday.

Notifications

The Jerusalem Center
The Gaza Flotilla Is a Fraud

Far from a humanitarian mission, the latest 70-vessel spectacle on its way to Gaza from Italy is a costly act of political theater @FiammaNirenste1 @JNS_org

11:28am
The Jerusalem Center
The Assassination of Abu Obeida – Why Is Hamas Remaining Silent?

Senior Israeli security officials note that such silence is not new; Hamas often delays its statements following targeted Israeli assassinations, raising questions whether this stems from attempts to verify the information or from a deliberate strategy of ambiguity https://x.com/jerusalemcenter

11:25am
The Jerusalem Center
The Impact of Radical Legal Ideology: From the Classroom to the International Forum

Massive funding of Critical Legal Studies-style academic and extracurricular programs promotes anti-Western ideas and undermines international community institutions and legal conventions https://x.com/jerusalemcenter

11:23am
The Jerusalem Center
Western Countries Focus on Iran Technicalities, Ignore Ideological Bent

The West must look beyond nuclear “offsides” and confront the core issue: a regime in decline, anchored to a dying leader, ruling over a weary population hungry for change x.com/jerusalemcenter

11:19am
The Jerusalem Center
Israel, Gaza, and the Race Against Time

The Trump proposal to create a 10-year trusteeship levels the playing field and provides an opportunity for the Egyptians to open its border with Gaza @Dan_Diker

11:15am
The Jerusalem Center
Canada investigating Israeli-Canadian IDF soldiers?
JCFA senior researcher, Amb. Alan Baker slams the probe as a “political PR stunt with no legal basis.” “This isn’t justice—it’s a betrayal. Canada is siding with PLO propaganda over facts.”
11:29am
The Jerusalem Center
What makes a child believe killing a #Jew is justified?

In PA textbooks, Jews are called liars and frauds; their fate: elimination. This is #indoctrination—not #education. But change is happening. On East to West, @IMPACT_SE CEO Marcus Sheff exposes how #UNRWA-funded schools are fueling extremism—and what real reform looks like.  Listen now on Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/2JHqh973U  Watch on YouTube: youtu.be/8OkJTGNfVUc

11:43am
The Jerusalem Center
Highlights from the @Jerusalem_Post Annual Conference in NYC:

Dr. @Dan_Diker, President of the JCFA: “October 7 wasn’t just an attack on Israel — it was a blow to the U.S. on Israeli soil. It demands moral clarity and a united front between Israel and the U.S. to defeat jihadist terror.”

2:20pm
The Jerusalem Center
@XAVIAERD says it like it is

Well, @XAVIAERD says it like it is: If you’re part of “#Queers for #Palestine,” he’ll pay for your flight to #Gaza. Go see for yourself how they treat LGBTQ+ people over there. Don’t miss this bold take on the Israel-Hamas war and the woke right.

2:32pm
The Jerusalem Center
“This isn’t Israel vs. Hamas — it’s the frontline of the free world.”

“This isn’t Israel vs. Hamas — it’s the frontline of the free world.” On Our Middle East by @JNS_org, @Dan_Diker@KhaledAbuToameh (JCFA/@GatestoneInst) break it down: If Hamas isn’t crushed, Iran wins. The jihadis—from #Gaza to your campus—get the green light. Diker: “This war is for the West.” No fluff. No filters. Just raw insight from two insiders who actually know what’s going on.  Watch: youtu.be/4Aq_zcbb4Yo

2:15pm
The Jerusalem Center
5/5 Lt. Col. Kalo on East to West with @smartinezamir:

“This operation showcases Israel’s strategic intelligence superiority both regionally and globally. It demonstrates the moral commitment to recovered soldiers and also strengthens Israel’s position with allies.” youtube.com/watch?v=nIvNNi

2:07pm
The Jerusalem Center
4/5 The operation built on intelligence gathered during the 2019 #Baumel recovery

#Mossad agents operated under cover in #Syria for years, visiting a graveyard multiple times under fire to collect remains for DNA matching. The intelligence community’s evolution combines technology, big data analysis, and human intelligence capabilities.

2:02pm

Close