On November 13, the Qatari-owned Al-Quds al-Arabi daily carried the following report: “Israel’s targeting of leader in the Islamic Jihad Akram al-Ajouri in Damascus, in parallel to the assassination of Commander of the Quds Brigade in the Gaza Strip Baha Abu al-Ata, raised questions surrounding the link between the two and the reasons why they were targeted at the same time. Al-Ajouri, a member of the Islamic Jihad Movement’s politburo, enjoys good relations with all the sides inside the Islamic Jihad and the remaining Palestinian factions. Israel’s intelligence accuses him of being the main coordinator between the Iranian Revolutionary Guard and the military wing of the Islamic Jihad, a.k.a. the Quds Brigade, and that the regular launching of missiles from the Gaza Strip onto the settlements near the Strip showed that Iran had found an new agent on the border, represented by a network affiliated with the Islamic Jihad Movement.

“According to Tel Aviv, Iran wants to continue launching attacks from Syria against Israel at irregular intervals, and Al-Ajouri, who resides in Damascus, is viewed as a key element in that. Al-Ajouri is viewed as the strongest figure inside the Islamic Jihad Movement, in light of his influence that extends to the leaders in the Gaza Strip, where the movement’s center and strength reside. He is very close to many decision-making circles in the region, while despite his numerous disputes with former Secretary General Ramadan Shalah, the latter could not exclude him from the decision-making process due to his wide influence inside and outside the Gaza Strip over the Islamic Jihad. He ran in the elections and earned the second highest number of the votes after Nakhaleh…”