An ′iṣābā from Jableh led by Sheikh Izz ad-Din al-Qassam also formed part of the revolt. The French military authorities considered al-Qassam's group, which relocated its headquarters to the Jabal Sahyun village of Zanqufa from Jableh in early 1920,Schleifer, ed. Burke 1993, p. 169. to be a part of al-Bitar's unit, but the two commanders operated in different sectors. Al-Bitar's unit had been active in Jabal Sahyun since early 1919 soon after French forces landed in Latakia. Al-Qassam left Syria to British-held Palestine sometime after the Battle of Maysalun to avoid capture by the French who issued a warrant for his arrest.
