Palestinian commander Ali Ramzi al-Aswad as seen in a poster released by the PIJ.
On March 19, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) said that one of its senior commanders was assassinated in Syria by Israel.
In a statement, the military wing of the Gaza-based group, the al-Quds Brigades, said that 31-year-old Ali Ramzi al-Aswad was gunned down by “agents of the Zionist enemy” in the countryside of Damascus.
The al-Quds Brigades described the killing of al-Aswad as a “cowardly assassination bearing the fingerprints of the Zionist enemy.”
Al-Aswad’s family originated from the city of Haifa and settled in a refugee camp in Syria after the year 1948, which marked the foundation of Israel. He first worked for the PIJ as an engineer, and eventually became a senior commander of the group.
“We hold the Zionist enemy responsible for this treacherous crime, and affirm that we will continue to fight the enemy, confront it and respond to all its crimes against our people and our resistance,” the al-Quds Brigades said in its statement.
The authorities in Syria have not made any comment on the killing of al-Aswad, so far. However, informed sources told the Lebanese Al-Mayadeen TV that a joint investigation into the assassination had begun.
In an apparent reference to the assassination, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at a cabinet meeting said Israel would “get to the terrorists and the architects of terror everywhere.”
“Our forces are working around the clock to deal with the terrorists and thwart terror infrastructure. Dozens of terrorists were killed in the last month; many others were arrested. I repeat: All those who try to harm the citizens of Israel, they will pay with their lives,” Netanyahu said.
The PIJ is the main Palestinian ally of Damascus. The group maintains a political and military presence in Syria. From there, it coordinates with other members of the so-called “Axis of Resistance,” including Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Lebanon’s Hezbollah.
Israel attacked the PIJ in Syria on several occasions in the last few years. On 12 November 2019, an Israel strike targeted the house of PIJ senior leader Akram al-Ajouri in Damascus. Al-Ajouri survived the assassination attempt. However, his son was killed. Later on 23 February 2020, a series of Israeli airstrikes targeted positions of the faction in the southern outskirts of the Syrian capital.
The assassination of al-Aswad will not likely go without a response from the PIJ. The group could respond from Syria, or directly from the Gaza Strip. Israel will likely escalate militarily in both cases.
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