After Symeon the Droungarios and Niketas of Mistheia failed to take al-Maniqa, Romanos III appointed the faithful Theoktistos as strategos autokrator and sent him with a large force to join Hassan ibn al-Mufarrij in Syria. After the defection of Hassan to the Byzantines, the Egyptians had sent against him al-Dizbiri, the Fatimid governor of Palestine, with a substantial army. Hassan had appealed to Romanos, who sent Theoktistos to help him and capture al-Maniqa. The combined imperial force was successful, defeating al-Dizbiri and capturing al-Maniqa and Argyrokastron. Theoktistos returned to the capital in triumph with Hassan's son 'Allaf