View source for As-Sa'iqa

{{Other uses|Saiqa (disambiguation){{!}}Saiqa}}
{{pp-extended|small=yes}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2022}}
{{Infobox political party
| name             = As-Sa'iqa
| native_name      = {{lang|ar|الصاعقة}}
| logo             = Logo As-Saiqa Palestine.svg
| colorcode        = {{party color|Ba'ath Party}}
| leader           = Mohammed Qeis
| foundation       = September 1966
| ideology         = [[Pan-Arabism]]<br />[[Neo-Ba'athism]]
| membership       = 7,000 <small>(1970)</small><ref>{{Cite book |last1=Buck |first1=Terry James |url=https://compass.fivecolleges.edu/object/hampshire:1534 |title=The Decline of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine: A Historical Analysis |last2=Berman |first2=Aaron |publisher=Compass digital repository |year=2021 |page=27}}</ref><br />2,000 <small>(1980)</small><ref>{{Cite book |last=Alon |first=Hanan |url=https://www.rand.org/pubs/notes/N1567.html |title=Countering Palestinian Terrorism in Israel: Toward a Policy Analysis of Countermeasures |date=August 1980 |publisher=[[Rand Corporation]] |isbn=0-8330-2310-1 |pages=210–212}}</ref>
| position         = [[Far-left politics|Far-left]]
| national         = [[Palestine Liberation Organization]]<br />[[Alliance of Palestinian Forces]]
| regional         = [[Ba'ath Party (Syrian-dominated faction)|Syrian-led Ba'ath Party]]
| colors           = Black, Red, White and Green ([[Pan-Arab colors]])
| seats1_title     = [[Palestinian Legislative Council]]
| seats1           = {{Composition bar|0|132|hex={{party color|Ba'ath Party}}}}
| country          = Palestine
| flag             = Flag of the Ba'ath Party.svg
}}
{{Ba'athism sidebar}}
'''As-Sa'iqa''' ({{langx|ar|الصَّاعِقَة|lit=Thunderbolt|translit=aṣ-Ṣāʽiqa}}), officially known as '''Vanguard for the Popular Liberation War – Lightning Forces''', ({{langx|ar|طَلائِع حَرْب التَّحْرِير الشَّعْبِيَّة - قُوَّات الصَّاعِقَة|translit=Ṭalāʼiʽ Ḥarb at-Taḥrīr aš-Šaʽbiyya - Quwwāt aṣ-Ṣāʽiqa|links=no}}) is a [[Palestinians|Palestinian]] [[Ba'athism|Ba'athist]] political and military faction created by [[Ba'athist Syria|Syria]]. It is linked to the Palestinian branch of the [[Ba'ath Party (Syrian-dominated faction)|Syrian-led Ba'ath Party]], and is a member of the broader [[Palestine Liberation Organization]] (PLO), although it is no longer active in the organization.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://fas.org/|title=Striving For A Safer World Since 1945|website=Federation Of American Scientists}}</ref> Its Secretary-General is Dr. [[Mohammed Qeis]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://pflp.ps/|title=الجبهة الشعبية لتحرير فلسطين|website=الجبهة الشعبية لتحرير فلسطين}}</ref>

== History ==

=== Background ===

==== 1966 coup in Syria ====
{{Main|1966 Syrian coup d'état}}
As-Sa'iqa's roots go back to the [[1966 Syrian coup d'état|1966 coup d'état]] in [[Ba'athist Syria|Syria]]. This [[Coup d'état|military coup]] overthrew [[National Command of the Ba'ath Party|National Command]] purged the [[Ba'ath Party]] (which had [[1963 Syrian coup d'état|come to power]] three years earlier) of its "old guard" and the founders of [[Ba'athism]] in general, sending people like [[Michel Aflaq]] and [[Salah al-Din al-Bitar|Salah ad-Din al-Bitar]] into exile and sentencing them to death in absentia.{{sfn|Seale|1990|p=330}}<ref>{{Cite book |last=A. Paul |first=James |title=Human rights in Syria |publisher=Human Rights Watch |year=1990 |isbn=0-929692-69-1 |page=141 |chapter=Appendex II: Foreign Assassinations}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author=Tucker, Spencer |title=The Encyclopedia of Middle East Wars: The United States in the Persian Gulf, Afghanistan, and Iraq Conflicts |publisher=[[ABC-CLIO]] |year=2010 |isbn=978-1-85109-947-4 |volume=1 |page=30 |ref=CITEREFTucker2010}}</ref>

==== New regime's policy ====
{{Main|Salah Jadid}}
The coup brought to power the [[Far-left politics|most radical]] Ba'athist faction, which later became known as [[neo-Ba'athism]]. The main ideologist of neo-Ba'athism and organizer of the 1966 coup was the military general [[Salah Jadid]], who began indirect but complete rule of Syria. Jadid was very radical, and carried out the same radical policies, both domestic and foreign. Domestically, he actively promoted and tried to harshly implement ideas bordering on [[communism]], actively persecuted any [[Religion in Syria|religion]],<ref>{{cite web |title=Bashar's Syria: The Regime and its Strategic Worldview |url=http://www.herzliyaconference.org/_Uploads/2590Bashars.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110723214138/http://www.herzliyaconference.org/_Uploads/2590Bashars.pdf |archive-date=23 July 2011 |accessdate=8 March 2013 |pages=364–365}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Rubin |first=Barry |title="2: The World's Most Unstable Country, 1946–1970". The Truth About Syria. |date=2007 |publisher=New York: Palgrave Macmillan |isbn=978-1-4039-8273-5 |pages=38}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Heydemann |first=Steven |title=Middle East authoritarianisms: governance, contestation, and regime resilience in Syria and Iran |date=2013 |publisher=Stanford university press |isbn=978-0-8047-8301-9 |series=Stanford studies in Middle Eastern and Islamic societies and cultures |location=Stanford (Calif.)}}</ref> and intensified [[State terrorism|state terror]] in the country.<ref name="keegan2">{{Cite book |last=Keegan |first=John |title=World Armies |publisher=Gale |year=1983 |isbn=0-8103-1515-7 |edition=2nd |location=Detroit, MI |page=562}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Meininghaus |first=Esther |title=Creating Consent in Ba'thist Syria: Women and Welfare in a Totalitarian State |publisher=I.B. Tauris |year=2016 |isbn=978-1-78453-115-7 |location=London |page=6}}</ref> In a result, Jadid successfully built a [[Totalitarianism|totalitarian]] and [[Marxism–Leninism|Marxist–Leninist]] state (sometimes called "[[Neo-Marxism|Neo-Marxist]]" by outside observers<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Jabber |first=Fuad |date=1973 |title=The Arab Regimes and the Palestinian Revolution, 1967-71 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/2535482 |journal=Journal of Palestine Studies |volume=2 |issue=2 |pages=79–101 |doi=10.2307/2535482 |issn=0377-919X |jstor=2535482|url-access=subscription }}</ref>) with brutal repression. Outwardly, he moved closer to the [[Soviet Union]]<ref name="Mann-2013">{{Cite journal |last=Mann |first=Joseph |date=2013 |title=Syria, Precipitator of the Six Day War |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/23470917 |journal=Middle Eastern Studies |volume=49 |issue=4 |pages=547–562 |doi=10.1080/00263206.2013.798306 |issn=0026-3206 |jstor=23470917|url-access=subscription }}</ref> and pursued very aggressive, provocative and in many ways reckless rhetoric against [[Israel]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Ma'oz |first=Moshe |date=2006 |title=Review of Syria: Revolution from above; The New Lion of Damascus: Bashar al-Asad and Modern Syria |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/4330338 |journal=Middle East Journal |volume=60 |issue=4 |pages=810–813 |issn=0026-3141 |jstor=4330338}}</ref><ref name="Mann-2013"/> At the same time, his relations with much of the [[Arab world]] were also poor:<ref name="Lawson-1986">{{Cite journal |last=Lawson |first=Fred H. |date=1986 |editor-last=Bar-Siman-Tov |editor-first=Yaacov |title=Linkage Politics |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/2536837 |journal=Journal of Palestine Studies |volume=15 |issue=2 |pages=152–155 |doi=10.2307/2536837 |issn=0377-919X |jstor=2536837|url-access=subscription }}</ref> his neo-Ba'athist regime was basically indifferent to [[Pan-Arabism|pan-Arab]] issues except for [[Palestine]],<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Sievers |first=Marc J. |date=1980 |title=The Ideology of the Ba'th Party and Syrian Politics |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/24356349 |journal=Journal of International Affairs |volume=34 |issue=1 |pages=187–190 |issn=0022-197X |jstor=24356349}}</ref> and almost all of the Jadid's rule Syria was isolated from most of the Arab states.

The Jadid's regime pursued hardline policies and calling for the mobilization of a [[people's war]] ([[Maoism|Maoist]] [[Guerrilla warfare|guerilla]] tactics) against [[Zionism]], which was expressed in its huge support for [[Left-wing politics|leftist]] [[Palestinian fedayeen]] groups, granting them considerable autonomy and allowing them to carry out attacks on Israel from Syrian territory: Jadid continued supporting that concept even after catasrophic [[Six-Day War]] in 1967.{{sfn|Seale|1990}}{{pn|date=September 2025}}<ref>{{Cite book |last=Meininghaus |first=Esther |title=Creating Consent in Ba'thist Syria: Women and Welfare in a Totalitarian State |publisher=I.B. Tauris |year=2016 |isbn=978-1-78453-115-7 |location=London |page=75}}</ref><ref name="keegan2"/> Israel has repeatedly accused Syria of supporting Palestinian groups and their acts of violence. At the end of May 1967, the headlines of Syrian newspapers clearly stated that for the neo-Ba'athist regime, war was the only solution to the "Israeli problem".<ref name="Mann-2013"/> According to Israeli sources, the regime in Syria initiated 177 border incidents and aided 75 Palestinian terrorist incidents between 23 February 1966 and 15 May 1967.<ref name="Lawson-1986"/>

=== Early years ===

==== Formation of as-Sa'iqa ====
Just a few months after the coup, in September, Jadid's regime completed the formation of the [[Palestinians|Palestinian]] paramilitary Ba'athist group called as-Sa'iqa, which carried out attacks on Israel from [[Jordan]]ian and [[Lebanon|Lebanese]] territory, but was completely under the control of the neo-Ba'athist regime in Syria.<ref name="Kerr-1973">{{Cite journal |last=Kerr |first=Malcolm H. |date=1973 |title=Hafiz Asad and the Changing Patterns of Syrian Politics |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/40201173 |journal=International Journal |volume=28 |issue=4 |pages=689–706 |doi=10.2307/40201173 |issn=0020-7020 |jstor=40201173|url-access=subscription }}</ref> As-Sa'iqa became a very important guerrilla group for the Jadid regime: it was present in neighboring Arab countries and also diminished the role of other fedayeen groups in Syria that were not created by him. For example, after the creation of as-Sa'iqa, [[Fatah]] (another fedayeen group), under Syrian pressure, was forced to move its bases and training camps from Syria to Jordan.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Jabber |first=Fuad |date=1973 |title=The Arab Regimes and the Palestinian Revolution, 1967-71 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/2535482 |journal=Journal of Palestine Studies |volume=2 |issue=2 |pages=79–101 |doi=10.2307/2535482 |issn=0377-919X |jstor=2535482|url-access=subscription }}</ref> Syria-controlled as-Saiqa successfully replaced the uncontrolled Fatah.<ref name="Mann-2013"/> The group became active in December 1968, as a member of the [[Palestine Liberation Organization|PLO]]. Syria tried to build up an alternative to [[Yasser Arafat]], who was then emerging with his Fatah faction as the primary Palestinian fedayeen leader and politician.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://middleeastreference.org.uk/palestiniangroups.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060208073832/http://middleeastreference.org.uk/palestiniangroups.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=February 8, 2006|title=Institutional biographies of Palestinian political groups since 1967|date=February 8, 2006}}</ref> As-Sa'iqa was initially the second-largest group within the PLO, after Fatah.<ref>Morris, Benny.  ''Righteous Victims''. p. 367</ref>

==== Assadist-Jadidist split ====
After the Six-Day War, the conflict between Jadid and [[Hafez al-Assad]], the defense minister, became very intense. Assad believed that Jadid's radicalism and aggressive policies had failed Syria and that a more moderate approach to the domestic and foreign policy situation was required. Although Jadid's regime gave a lot of support to the leftist fedayeen, Assad already then considered this a bad decision. In Assad's opinion, the militants were given too much autonomy in attacks on Israel, which provoked the Six-Day War: he demanded a strong reduction in the autonomy of the fedayeen and the transfer of control over them to the [[Syrian Arab Armed Forces|army]].{{sfn|Seale|1990|p=144}}{{verify inline|date=September 2025}}<ref name="Kerr-1973"/> Assad also disagreed with the very essence of the concept of "people's war" promoted by Jadid.<ref name="Kerr-1973" />

The conflict often escalated from heated verbal disputes to military clashes between supporters of both sides: for example in 1969, Assad staged something very [[1969 Syrian incident|much like a coup]], during which an important ally of Jadid and the director of the [[National Security Bureau of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party – Syria Region|National Security Bureau]] (the central command of all Syrian [[Mukhabarat#Syria|mukhabarats]], i.e. intelligence services) [[Abdul-Karim al-Jundi]] shot himself.{{sfn|Seale|1990|p=151}}{{verify inline|date=September 2025}} Since the start of the conflict between Assad and Jadid, the Palestinian fedayeen have become another lever for the various factions who struggle for power. For example, as-Sa'iqa for those years had expanded into a large militia of thousands of fighters by 1969: Jadid used it as a counterweight to armed Assad's supporters.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Jabber |first=Fuad |date=1973 |title=The Arab Regimes and the Palestinian Revolution, 1967-71 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/2535482 |journal=Journal of Palestine Studies |volume=2 |issue=2 |pages=79–101 |doi=10.2307/2535482 |issn=0377-919X |jstor=2535482|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

=== Al-Assad takeover and Purge of As-Sa'iqa ===
As a result, as-Sa'iqa was unable to help Jadid stay in power. When al-Assad seized power in the November 1970 "[[Corrective Movement (Syria)|Corrective Revolution]]", as-Sa'iqa was purged and its leaders replaced with al-Assad loyalists (although Jadid loyalists held on to the as-Sai'qa branch active in the Palestinian refugee camps in Jordan until mid-1971, when they were arrested).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tkb.org/Group.jsp?groupID=150|publisher=MIPT Terrorism Knowledge Base |title=Al-Saiqa|access-date=2013-09-03|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071018224828/http://tkb.org/Group.jsp?groupID=150|archive-date=2007-10-18|url-status = dead}}</ref> As new Secretary-General (after Mahmud al-Ma'ayta, who had succeeded [[Yusuf Zuayyin]]), al-Assad chose [[Zuheir Mohsen]], a Palestinian Ba'thist who had come to Syria as a refugee from [[Jordan]]. He was repeatedly promoted by Syria as a candidate for the post of PLO chairman, to replace Arafat, but never gained support from other factions. By some estimates, by 1983, about 70 percent of all as-Sa'iqa militants were Syrians.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Syria - Republican Guard |url=http://www.country-data.com/cgi-bin/query/r-13588.html |access-date=2025-10-15 |website=www.country-data.com}}</ref>

=== With and against the PLO in Lebanon ===
As-Sa'iqa was used by Syria as a [[Proxy war|proxy]] force in the Palestinian movement.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Schulze |first=Kirsten |title=Israel's Covert Diplomacy in Lebanon |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan UK |year=2016 |isbn=9780230372474 |pages=84}}</ref><ref>{{Blockquote|text=The Scene was, in many ways, paradoxical . Assad, the Socialist, put his "proxy" troops, the Syrian-based Palestinians (As-Saiqa), in the position of preventing effective military moves to oust the president.|title="Reports"|source=American Jewish Alternatives to Zionism, 1977, Volume 25-27}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Bayman |first=Daniel |title=A High Price, The Triumphs and Failures of Israeli Counterterrorism . |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2011 |isbn=9780199830459 |pages=56}}</ref><ref>{{Blockquote|text="The terrorist organization As-Sai'qah, which as it is known has so far operated at Syrian initiative ."|author=Arab Affairs Commentor Eliezer Ben-Moshe|title="Tel Aviv Israel Armed Forces Radio in Hebrew 1540 GMT 15 Nov [19]70"|source=Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Foreign Radio Broadcasts  Daily Report, Volumes 221-230 .}}</ref> While this has prevented as-Sa'iqa from gaining widespread popularity among Palestinians, it became an important force in the Palestinian camps in Syria, as well as in Lebanon. During the [[Lebanese Civil War]], Syria built the movement into one of the most important Palestinian fighting units, but also forced it to join in Syrian offensives against the PLO when relations between al-Assad and Arafat soured. This led to as-Sa'iqa's expulsion from the PLO in 1976, but it was readmitted in December the same year, after the situation had cooled down, and after Syria named this as a condition for further support for the PLO. The attacks on the PLO led to large-scale defections of Syrian-based Palestinians from the movement. As-Saiqa was also responsible for the [[Damour massacre]] in 1976 and many other mass murders.<ref>{{cite web |author=Cedarland.org| url=http://www.cedarland.org/war.html |title=The Lebanon War |access-date=2013-09-03|url-status = dead |archive-url=https://swap.stanford.edu/20091019081930/http%3A//www%2Ecedarland%2Eorg/war%2Ehtml |archive-date= October 19, 2009}}</ref>

After Muhsin's assassination in 1979, [[Isam al-Qadi]] became the new Secretary-General. The movement remained active during the Lebanese Civil War, and again joined Syria, the Lebanese [[Shia Islam|Shi'a]] [[Amal Movement]] and [[Said al-Muragha|Abu Musa]]'s [[Fatah al-Intifada]] in attacks on the PLO during the [[War of the Camps]] in 1984–85, and for the remainder of the Civil War (which lasted until 1990). This again led to mass-defections of Palestinians from the movement (Harris quotes the Syrian-aligned Amal Movement as complaining that the Syrian-backed Palestinian forces sent to attack the PLO were "[[Said al-Muragha|Abu Musa]] in the [[Beqaa Valley|Biqa']]" but "become Abu nothing in the [[Chouf District|Shuf]] and [[Yasser Arafat|Abu Ammar]] on arrival in [[Beirut]]"), and reportedly its ranks were filled with non-Palestinian Syrian army recruits. After the end of the Civil War, the movement was nearly out of contact with the PLO mainstream,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.arts.mcgill.ca/MEPP/PRRN/papers/sanctuary/ch8.html |title=Welcome to the Palestinian Refugee ResearchNet |publisher=Arts.mcgill.ca |date=2013-01-01 |access-date=2013-09-03}}</ref> and exerted influence only in Syria and in Syrian-occupied parts of Lebanon. It kept lobbying within the PLO against the various peace proposals advanced by Arafat, and was part of the Syrian-based [[Palestinian National Alliance|National Alliance]] that opposed Arafat.

=== As-Sai'qa today ===
After the end of the Lebanese Civil War and the 1993 signing of the [[Oslo I Accord|Oslo Peace Agreement]], as-Sai'qa has largely lost its usefulness to the Syrian government, and the state and size of the organization deteriorated. Today, it is wholly insignificant outside Syria, although it retains a presence in Lebanon (its future is uncertain after the end in 2005 of the [[Syrian Armed Forces|Syrian Army's]] presence in Lebanon). It is extremely weak in the [[West Bank]] and [[Gaza Strip]], non-existent in the [[Golan Heights]], [[East Jerusalem]] and [[Israel|Israel within the Green Line]], and has not been active during the [[Second Intifada|al-Aqsa Intifada]]. Its importance to Syria has lessened, both because the PLO has diminished in importance compared to the [[Palestinian National Authority]]. As-Sai'qa boycotts PNA bodies, and its representative on the PLO Executive Committee also boycotts its sessions.

Following the outbreak of the [[Syrian Civil War]] in 2011, as-Sa'iqa took up arms in support of the Syrian Ba'athist government, participating in numerous military operations such as the [[Southern Damascus offensive (April–May 2018)]],<ref name="South Damascus">{{cite web|url=http://www.aymennjawad.org/2018/04/the-south-damascus-campaign-interview-with-quwat |title=The South Damascus Campaign: Interview with Quwat al-Sa'iqa |author=Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi |date=27 April 2018 |access-date=29 April 2018}}</ref> and the [[2018 Southern Syria offensive]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.actionpal.org.uk/en/post/5438/news-and-reports/palestinian-refugee-dies-while-fighting-alongside-gov-t-forces-south-of-syria |title=Palestinian Refugee Dies While Fighting alongside Gov't Forces South of Syria |work=Action Group for Palestinians of Syria |date=5 July 2018 |access-date=17 July 2018}}</ref> Having greatly diminished in numbers, the organization's forces had suffered just 30 fighters [[killed in action]] by April 2018.<ref name="South Damascus" /> By August 2018, As-Sa'iqa began to lay off a substantial number of its fighters, mostly because they were no longer needed and because of lack of funds.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.actionpal.org.uk/en/post/7604/action-group-for-palestinians-of-syria/pro-government-palestinian-factions-lay-off-scores-of-gunmen |title=Pro-Government Palestinian Factions Lay off Scores of Gunmen |work=Action Group for Palestinians of Syria |date=24 August 2018 |access-date=29 August 2018}}</ref>

After the [[fall of the Assad regime]] in late 2024, the [[Syrian caretaker government|Syrian transitional government]] demanded that all Palestinian armed groups in Syria disarm themselves, dissolve their military formations, and instead focus on political and charitable work.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://al-akhbar.com/lebanon/816122/%D9%84%D8%A8%D9%86%D8%A7%D9%86-%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AD%D8%AF%D8%AB-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B3%D9%88%D8%B1%D9%8A--%D8%A3%D8%B3%D8%A6%D9%84%D8%A9-%D8%AD%D9%88%D9%84-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D9%82%D8%A7%D9%88%D9%85%D8%A9-%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%82%D8%AA%D8%B5%D8%A7%D8%AF-%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%AC%D8%AA%D9%85%D8%A7%D8%B9| title = لبنان والحدث السوري: أسئلة حول المقاومة والاقتصاد والاجتماع والحرّيات| website = [[Al Akhbar (Lebanon)]]| date = 13 December 2024| access-date = 13 December 2024}}</ref> Representatives of the new government also raided the offices of as-Sa'iqa, [[Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine – General Command|PFLP-GC]], and Fatah al-Intifada, confiscating documents, equipment, and weapons.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://inkstickmedia.com/what-does-assads-collapse-mean-for-syrias-palestinian-armed-groups/| title = Assad's Departure Raises Questions for Palestinian Armed Groups in Syria |author=Wesam Sabaaneh| website = Inkstick| date = 17 December 2024| access-date = 18 December 2024}}</ref> The new Syrian government ultimately allowed as-Sa'iqa to continue its political activities, with the party reshuffling its leadership "to strengthen the faction's Palestinian role".<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.dailysabah.com/world/mid-east/syrias-pro-assad-palestinian-factions-tout-organizational-changes | title = Syria's pro-Assad Palestinian factions tout organizational changes  | work = Daily Sabah | date = 12 February 2025 | access-date = 19 February 2025}}</ref> On 8 February 2025, as-Sa'iqa reopened its offices in the Al-A'edeen Camp in [[Hama]], prompting protests by locals who demanded that the party be held responsible for violations during the civil war.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.actionpal.org.uk/en/post/13966/anger-ignites-hama-camp-why-did-the-residents-revolt-against-sa-iqa | title =  Anger Ignites Hama Camp: Why Did the Residents Revolt Against "Sa'iqa"? | work = Action Group for Palestinians of Syria| date = 10 February 2025 | access-date = 19 February 2025}}</ref>

== Secretary-Generals ==
*[[Zuheir Mohsen]] (1971–1979)
*[[Isam al-Qadi]] (1979–2006)
*Farhan Abu Al-Hayja (2007–2018)
*Mohammed Qeis (2018–present)

== Organization and structure ==
{{infobox war faction
| name             = As-Sa'iqa
| native_name      = الصاعقة
| native_name_lang = Arabic
| war              = 
| image            = 
| caption          = 
| active           = 1966–1991<br/>2011–2018
| split            = 
| ideology         = [[Pan-Arabism]]<br/>[[Neo-Ba'athism]]
| clans            = 
| leaders          = [[Zuheir Mohsen]]<br>[[Isam al-Qadi]]<br/>Farhan Abu Al-Haija<br>Mohammed Qeis
| headquarters     = [[Damascus]]
| area             = [[Syria]], [[Lebanon]]
| size             = 
| partof           = [[Palestine Liberation Organization]]<br> [[Alliance of Palestinian Forces]]
| predecessor      = 
| successor        = 
| allies           = '''1966–1991:<br/>'''{{flagicon image|Flag of the Syrian Arab Armed Forces (1980–2024).svg}} [[Syrian Arab Armed Forces]]<br>{{Flagicon image|PFLP-GC Flag.svg}} [[Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine – General Command|PFLP-GC]]<br>{{flagicon image|Simplified Fatah flag.jpg|size=22px}} [[Fatah al-Intifada]]<br>{{flagicon image|Flag of Lebanon (1943-1995).svg}} [[Lebanese National Movement]]<br>{{Flagicon image|Emblem of the Palestine Liberation Army.svg}} [[Palestine Liberation Army]]<br>{{Flagicon image|Flag of the Amal Movement.svg}} [[Amal Movement]]<br/>
'''2011–2018:<br/>'''{{flagicon|Syria|1980}} [[Ba'athist Syria]] <br>{{flagicon|Iran}} [[Iran]] <br>{{flagicon|Russia}} [[Russia]] <br />{{flagicon image|InfoboxHez.PNG}} [[Hezbollah]]
| opponents        = '''1966–1991:<br/>'''{{flagicon image|Simplified Fatah flag.jpg|size=22px}} [[Fatah]]<br/>{{flagicon image|Flag of the Lebanese Front.svg|22px}} [[Lebanese Front]]<br/>{{flagicon image|Flag of the Lebanese Forces.svg|22px}} [[Lebanese Forces (militia)|Lebanese Forces]]<br>{{flag|Israel}}<br/>
'''2011–2018:<br/>'''{{flagdeco|Syrian opposition}} [[Free Syrian Army]]<br/>{{flagicon image|Flag of al-Qassam Brigades.svg}} [[Aknaf Bait al-Maqdis]]<br/>{{flagicon image|Jaysh Al Islam white flag.svg}} [[Jaysh al-Islam]]<br/>{{flagicon image|Flag of Ahrar ash-Sham.svg}} [[Ahrar al-Sham]]<br/>{{flagicon image|Flag of the Al-Nusra Front.svg}}{{flagicon image|InfoboxHTS.svg}} [[Al-Nusra Front]]/[[Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham]]
| battles          = [[Lebanese Civil War]]<br/>[[Syrian civil war]]
}}

Since 2007, Farhan Abu Hayja has been Secretary-General of as-Sa'iqa. Muhammad al-Khalifa is its representative on the [[Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization|PLO Executive Committee]], but boycotts sessions of the PLO EC.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://middleeastreference.org.uk/ploec.html |title= PLO Executive Committee membership 1969-1988|website=middleeastreference.org.uk |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051214064423/http://middleeastreference.org.uk/ploec.html |archive-date=December 14, 2005}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | website=Intelligence Resource Program|title=The PLO must end its equivocations| date=9 May 1989 | url=https://irp.fas.org/congress/1989_cr/h890509-plo.htm|page=E1580| access-date=19 June 2023}}</ref> During much of the 1970s, as-Sai'qa's representatives in the PLO EC (Muhsin and al-Qadi) held the prestigious and sensitive post of Head of the Military Department, which reflected the military importance of the movement in those years.

Syrian backing in the 1970s gave as-Sa'iqa a military weight far greater than its political influence, which has always been small. During the [[Lebanese Civil War]], it was often the second largest Palestinian faction in fighting strength, after Yassir Arafat's [[Fatah]] movement.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://middleeastreference.org.uk/palestiniangroups.html |title= Institutional biographies of Palestinian political groups since 1967|website=middleeastreference.org.uk |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060208073832/http://middleeastreference.org.uk/palestiniangroups.html |archive-date=February 8, 2006}}</ref>

Under the name Eagles of the Palestinian Revolution - possibly the name of the armed wing of as-Sa'iqa - the organization committed a number of international [[terrorism|terrorist]] attacks. Among these was the 1979 takeover of the [[Egypt]]ian embassy in [[Ankara]], [[Turkey]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mipt.org/pdf/1979PoGT.pdf |title= Las Vegas Media|website=www.mipt.org |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060111235208/http://www.mipt.org/pdf/1979PoGT.pdf |archive-date=January 11, 2006}}</ref> (although attributed to Fatah<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tkb.org/Incident.jsp?incID=2491 |title=DIRECTV Packages 1-855-387-5271 DIRECTV Deals & Specials |publisher=Tkb.org |access-date=2013-09-03}}</ref>) and a kidnapping of Jews emigrating by train through [[Austria]] from the [[Soviet Union]] to [[Israel]].<ref>{{cite web|author=John Pike |url=http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/report/1991/RRC.htm|title=Yom Kippur War: Grand Deception Or Intelligence Blunder|publisher=Globalsecurity.org|access-date=2013-09-03}}</ref> Since the early 1990s, the organization has not committed any known attacks, and it is not listed on the [[United States State Department list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations|U.S. State Department list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations]].

== Ideological profile ==
As-Sa'iqa's political agenda is identical to that of [[Ba'athist Syria]], i.e., [[Arab socialism|Arab socialist]], [[Arab nationalism|nationalist]] and strongly committed to [[Pan-Arabism|Pan-Arab]] doctrine. While this reflects its Ba'thist programme, it has also used Pan-Arabism as a means of supporting the primacy of its sponsor, Syria, over the [[Yasser Arafat|Arafat]]-led PLO's claim to exclusive representation of the Palestinian people. Thus, it rejected "Palestinization" of the conflict with Israel, insisting on the necessary involvement of the greater Arab nation. This occasionally went to extremes, with as-Sa'iqa leaders denying the existence of a separate Palestinian people within the wider [[Arab world|Arab nation]].

The group has generally taken a hard line stance (reflecting that of Syria) on issues such as the recognition of Israel, the [[Oslo Accords]], and other questions of Palestinian goals and political orientation. It was a member of the 1974 [[Rejectionist Front]], despite supporting the [[PLO's Ten Point Program|Ten Point Programme]] that initially caused the PLO/Rejectionist Front split.

== See also ==
*[[Damour massacre]]
*[[Aishiyeh massacre]]
*[[Arab–Israeli conflict]]
*[[Arab Liberation Front]]
*[[Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine – General Command]]
*[[Fatah al-Intifada]]
*[[Palestine Liberation Army]]

== Notes ==
{{Reflist}}

== References ==
* {{Cite book |last=Fisk |first=Robert |title=Pity the Nation: Lebanon at War |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2001 |isbn=0-19-280130-9 |location=Oxford}}
* {{Cite book |last=Harris |first=William W. |title=Faces of Lebanon: Sects, Wars, and Global Extensions |publisher=Markus Wiener Publishers |year=1997 |isbn=1-55876-115-2 |location=Princeton, NJ}}
* {{cite book | author = Seale, Patrick | author-link = Patrick Seale | ref = CITEREFSeale1990 | title = Asad of Syria: The Struggle for the Middle East | publisher = [[University of California Press]] | year = 1990 | isbn = 978-0-520-06976-3 | url-access = registration | url = https://archive.org/details/asadofsyriastrug00seal }}

== External links ==
*[http://www.start.umd.edu/gtd/search/Results.aspx?page=1&casualties_type=&casualties_max=&perpetrator=2519&charttype=line&chart=overtime&ob=GTDID&od=desc&expanded=yes#results-table Attacks attributed to Saiqa on START database]
*[http://www.start.umd.edu/gtd/search/Results.aspx?page=1&casualties_type=&casualties_max=&perpetrator=2734&charttype=line&chart=overtime&ob=GTDID&od=desc&expanded=yes#results-table Attacks attributed to the "Eagles of the Palestinian Revolution" on START]

{{Ba'ath Party}}
{{Palestinian political parties}}

[[Category:1966 establishments in Palestine]]
[[Category:Anti-Israeli sentiment in Palestine]]
[[Category:Anti-Israeli sentiment in Syria]]
[[Category:Arab nationalism in Palestine]]
[[Category:Arab nationalist militant groups]]
[[Category:Ba'athist parties]]
[[Category:Ba'athist regional branches|Palestine]]
[[Category:Factions of the Palestine Liberation Organization]]
[[Category:Foreign relations of Syria]]
[[Category:Palestinian militant groups]]
[[Category:Nationalist parties in Palestine]]
[[Category:Political parties established in 1966]]
[[Category:Socialist parties in Palestine]]
[[Category:Pro-Assad factions of the Syrian civil war]]
[[Category:Axis of Resistance]]