Hamas officials meet Syrian president in Damascus in apparent Iranian effort to encircle Israel

The first Hamas delegation to Syria in a decade met with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus on Wednesday, following years of strained ties between the Syrian regime and the Islamist terrorist organization that rules Gaza.  Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qasem confirmed that the Hamas officials arrived in Syria alongside other rival Arab factions based in Gaza and the Judea-Samaria region.  “The trip is part of a visit by a number of delegations from Palestinian factions