Syrian authorities have detained a prominent Damascus-based Palestinian official whose group was close to the government of ousted President Bashar Assad

The head of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command, Talal Naji, has been detained by new Islamist-led authorities in Syria, raising concerns about the treatment of Palestinian factions amidst ongoing regional conflicts.

The United Nations special envoy for Syria has condemned an intense wave of Israeli airstrikes as Israel said its forces were on the ground in Syria to protect the Druze minority sect following days of clashes with Syrian pro-government gunmen.

United Nations special envoy Geir Pedersen urged Israel Saturday to halt its attacks on Syria "at once", after it carried out multiple air strikes targeting the Islamist-led authorities following sectarian violence this week.

Israel said it carried out a strike in Syria against "an extremist group" that attacked members of the Druze community, following through on a promise to defend the minority group as deadly sectarian violence spread near Damascus on Wednesday.