SECRET As-Sa'iqa
As-Sa'iqa (The Thunderbolt)
Executive Summary
(C) A creation of the Syrian Ba'th Party, Ga'iqa's orientation and goals as part of the Palestinian resistance movement are invariably identical with Syrian national interests as the relate to the movement. with the exception of the 1976 Syrian-Palstinian confrontation in Lebanon, during which it sided with Syria, Sa'iqa has been part of the moderate mainstream of the Palestine Liberation Organization. It seeks the establishment of a Palestinian state on the West bank of the Jordan and the Gaza Strip.
(S/NOFORM/NOCONTRACT) With 2,500 member, over half of whom are members of the Syrian Armed Forces, Sa'iqa is the second largest Fedayeen group. Its branch-type organization is answerable to the Syrian Army G-2; training is with the Syrian military and from its instructors and Soviet advisers; arms, generally of Soviet and Warsaw Pact manufacture, and of Syrian origin and includes SA-7 missiles, antiaircraft and antitank weapons.
(U) Constrained by its Syrian tie, Sa'iqa in not known for actions in Israel and the occupied territories. Its only international terrorist operation was aimed at disrupting Soviet Jewish emigration an took place in Western Europe.
(33 Reverse Blank) SECRET
