Hamas welcomes fall of al-Assad in Syria

The Islamist group Hamas - which has been fighting against Israeli forces in Gaza - on Monday congratulated the Syrian people on toppling the Syrian regime and ousting Bashar al-Assad.

"The Hamas Islamic resistance movement congratulates the brotherly Syrian people on their success in fulfilling their struggle for freedom and justice," it said.

It also called on Syria to keep supporting the Palestinian people.

Iran supports Hamas and also backed al-Assad's regime in its conflict with rebel groups in Syria.

But al-Assad was hostile to Islamist Palestinian groups that supported armed opposition fighters at the start of the Syrian civil war, and his regime detained hundreds of Palestinians.