BEIRUT: Syria’s crisis has caused a stalemate in the relation between Hezbollah and Hamas, Osama Hamdan, a Hamas official in Lebanon told Turkey’s state-run Anadolu Agency Saturday.

“Ties between Lebanon’s Hezbollah and Hamas are currently at a stalemate as a result of the Syrian crisis,” Hamdan said.

However, the official expected an improvement in the relation with Hezbollah soon after a weeklong conflict between Hamas and Israel came to an end Wednesday.

“The relation with Hezbollah is expected to improve soon after the resistance’s victory in Gaza,” Osama Hamdan, a Hamas politburo member, said.

Hezbollah has repeatedly voiced support for the Assad regime against rebels in the Syrian crisis which has been going on for some twenty months now. However, Hamas has refused to take Assad’s side although the Palestinian movement has always enjoyed the support of the Syrian authorities and Hamas leaders quit the Syrian capital in January of this year.

Earlier in November, Syrian authorities raided and closed Damascus offices of Hamas after media reports said some Hamas fighters had joined forces with rebels fighting against the Assad regime.

“The relation with Hezbollah was very special, but it has come to a stalemate regarding the conflicting views over what is going on in Syria,” said Hamdan. “No one can ask the Palestinians to take stance that contradicts their convictions and will,” he added.