The Palestinian group Hamas that rules Gaza is reviving relations with the Iran-backed regime in Damascus after a decade-long rupture sparked by the outbreak of Syria's bloody civil war.
Analysts say the shift pushes Hamas deeper into the fold of the Iran-led "axis of resistance" against Israel that includes Syria as well as Lebanon's Hezbollah movement and Yemen's Houthi rebels.
Hamas' move comes amid fundamental changes in Middle East relationships that saw the long-time ally Turkey restore full diplomatic ties in August with Israel, the Gaza ruler’s arch-enemy.
A delegation led by Hamas officials is expected in the Syrian capital next week, following a series of preparatory meetings.
The Hamas leadership may also be wary of spending too much time in Syria, given that Israel regularly launches air strikes on the country, mainly targeting pro-Iranian fighters.
Hamas sees itself as leading the armed resistance against Israel and its blockade of Gaza, but it is considered a terrorist group by Israel, the US and the European Union.
The group last month hailed its newly warming ties with the Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad as "a service to the (Palestinian) nation" whose people also live under Israeli occupation in the West Bank.
Hamas cited the "rapid regional and international developments surrounding our cause and our nation" -- without directly referring to Israel's restored ties with Turkey and relations with several Arab nations.
The shift comes as Syria's ally Iran, now hit by a wave of protests, is sharply at odds with Western and some regional powers, especially over its nuclear program, which Israel sees as an existential threat.
The Hamas delegation expected in Damascus next week is to be headed by Khalil al-Hayya, its head of Arab relations, said Khaled Abdel Majid, head of the Palestinian Popular Struggle Front, a group close to the Syrian regime.
Hamas' decision to ally again with Damascus follows numerous visits by its officials to Syria, both "secret and public," a senior Hamas source said.
Those meetings were mediated by Iran and Hezbollah, which have both fought on Assad's side in the civil war, the source said.
The budding Hamas-Syrian ties have exposed rifts within the Islamic movement.
However, the head of Hamas' political committee, Bassem Naim, said the decision followed years of regional and international discussions.
