Special to WorldTribune.com

GAZA CITY — The Hamas regime has quelled protests against the regime
of President Bashar Assad on the eve of a summit in Iran.

Palestinian sources said Hamas security forces blocked plans for
demonstrations against the Iranian-supported Assad and for the Sunni revolt
in Syria in late January.

They said the security operations were ordered by
Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh on the eve of his first visit to Teheran, expected to take place around Jan. 31.

“Hamas does not support the Assad regime, but does not want to express this openly,” a Palestinian source close to Hamas said.

The sources said Hamas security forces raided Salafist strongholds around Gaza City in an effort to stop anti-Assad protests in the Gaza Strip. They said Hamas officers also distributed leaflets to other groups that warned against any rallies or meetings linked to the revolt in Syria.

So far, Hamas is said to have arrested a leading Salafist suspected of trying to organize anti-Assad demonstrations. He was identified as Sheik Yasser Ibn Hula, director of the Ibn Baz Association, deemed a Salafist
group.

Hamas, which has largely abandoned its headquarters in Damascus, has
issued only one statement on the Sunni revolt in Syria, which began in March
2011. In December, Hamas asserted that it was working for reconciliation in
an effort to end the violence, which has claimed more than 5,500 lives.

Iran is said to have halted most of its $250 million in annual aid to
Hamas. The sources said Hamas has instead appealed for aid from Qatar and
Turkey.

  As leader heads for Teheran, Bashar Assad, Gaza City, Hamas cracks down on anti-Assad protests in Gaza, Ibn Baz Association, Ismail Haniyeh, Salafist, Sunni