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I concluded my last column about the events in southern Syria between Druze militias loyal to Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri and the Syrian government with the following words: “The Syrian government forces appear to have successfully extended their control over Sweida.”
However, things took an ugly turn. Israel’s decision to force the Syrian government out of the Druze-majority area of Sweida opened a Pandora’s box of sectarian escalation and anarchy.
Following an agreement with Druze notables, the Syrian army withdrew from the governorate, leaving only General Security forces in place. Shortly afterward, Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri renounced the agreement he had initially signed. Accompanied by intense Israeli airstrikes, the Suwayda Military Council ambushed the police forces.
The Syrian army returned to Sweida and fought militias loyal to Hijri. Despite Israeli attacks, the army regained control of Sweida city and even captured Hijri’s headquarters. Militias loyal to Hijri fled to the nearby Druze Mountain.
Seeing that air support wasn’t enough, Israel decided to target the Ministry of Defense and the Presidential Palace in Damascus. Also, two Israeli Ministers publicly threatened the Syrian president with assassination.
Following the escalation, the United States launched diplomatic efforts to de-escalate and resolve the dispute. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio publicly stated that the current escalation between Israel and Syria was a “misunderstanding.”
According to a leak by “Syria in Transition,” a response by the Israeli delegation during talks in Azerbaijan was perceived as an Israeli green light to extend government control over Sweida.
With support from Arab states and Türkiye, the U.S. mediated an agreement between Syria and Israel. Under the agreement, Israel ceased airstrikes in Syria, and the Syrian army fully withdrew from Sweida.
1 min read
Immediately after the withdrawal of the Syrian army from Sweida, Druze militias loyal to Hijri massacred Bedouin Arabs, kidnapped children and women, and expelled hundreds of families from their homes.
These war crimes triggered a tribal response. Tribal forces from the neighboring governorate rushed to aid the Bedouin Arab population. Other tribes across Syria called for popular mobilization against the Israel-backed militias of Hijri.
Now, in the absence of state authority and amid continued Israeli airstrikes, irregular tribal forces are pushing into Sweida, and militias loyal to Hijri appear unable to hold their ground for long.
Israeli actions have unfortunately paved the way for an anarchic situation of sectarian hatred and crimes. Druze militias began parading the bodies of the fallen tribal forces and threatened to execute around 50 kidnapped children and women, which ultimately fuels further hatred against the Druze and may lead to responses in kind.
2 min read
