Hamas leader Ismail Haniya is visiting Lebanon today (Tuesday) at the head of a delegation of senior members of the organization outside the Gaza Strip.
Upon his arrival, Haniya met with his deputy, Saleh Al-Aruri, and Hamas representatives based in Beirut.
According to Palestinian reports, Haniya is expected to meet with senior members of the Lebanese leadership.
It is unclear at this stage whether there will be a meeting between him and Hezbollah's secretary general, Hassan Nasrallah.
It was also reported that Haniya is expected to hold talks with representatives of the Palestinian factions in Lebanon as well as to be updated on the situation of the Palestinians in the refugee camps in the country.
The visit came in the shadow of a statement by a senior Lebanese Christian cleric a few days ago, in which he called for the expulsion of Palestinians from Lebanon, and talked about the need to find a solution for the resettlement of Palestinian refugees in other countries.
Meanwhile, two Hamas sources told Reuters today that the terrorist organization had decided to resume relations with the Assad regime in Syria.
According to a senior Hamas official, the parties even held meetings at senior levels.
However, Syria has not responded to the publication.
Relations between Hamas and Syria were severed following the Syrian civil war that erupted in 2011 when Hamas expressed support for Islamist elements fighting regime forces.
Following this, the leadership of the Hamas Politburo, which had been sitting in Damascus for years, was forced to move to Qatar.
Hamas v. Christian leader
Last Saturday, the Maronite Patriarch, Bishara Ra'i, said, "The international community needs to reach a serious solution to this issue, and demanded that the Lebanese authorities negotiate with the Palestinian Authority, the Arab League, the United Nations and the superpowers of Palestinian refugees living in Lebanon." And guarantee them a life of dignity, humanitarian and social. "
Hamas condemned his remarks, saying that "these statements do not reflect the depth of the strong ties between the Lebanese and the Palestinians. Palestinian refugees adhere to the right of return and oppose any attempt at deportation or naturalization and always expect to return their cities and villages expelled by Zionist occupation."
The last time Haniya visited Lebanon was in June last year with the end of Operation Wall Guard, then intended with Nasrallah as well as with Ziad Nahala, the leader of Islamic Jihad.
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