On November 29, members of Suwayda’s National Guard, a militia affiliated with Druze spiritual leader Hikmat al Hijri, carried out a series of arrests against political opponents in Syria’s predominantly Druze Suwayda province.
On August 3, clashes between local Druze militias, Sunni Arab tribal forces, and Syrian government troops reignited in Syria’s Suwayda province after a two-week hiatus following a US-brokered ceasefire.
Damascus’s new rulers may be unwilling or unable to protect Syria’s minorities, and calls have arisen to carve sovereign states for Kurds and Druze out of Syrian territory. However, these calls reflect a fundamental misunderstanding and misapplication of the principle of self-determination.
Clashes between Druze militias and Sunni Arab tribes have continued and grown after Syrian Army forces withdrew from the predominantly Druze governorate of Suwayda on July 16.
Israel has increased attacks on government sites in Damascus and carried out airstrikes against Syrian forces to deter attacks against the Druze minority in southern Syria. The Israel Defense Forces struck tanks and vehicles on July 14 and 15. On July 16, it expanded the campaign to target an area near the Syrian Presidential Palace and struck a military headquarters in Damascus. Israeli officials have vowed over the last six months to protect the Druze in Syria and keep southern Syria demilitarized.
Syrian Armed Forces entered the Druze-majority governorate of Suwayda for the first time on July 15, prompting severe clashes with Druze militias that have long resisted state control.
On May 29, an Israeli security official stated that Israel will not intervene militarily in support of any group in Syria. This stance follows previous Israeli intervention to protect the Syrian Druze amid pressure from Israeli Druze to prevent human rights abuses. Israel’s evolving stance reflects a delicate balancing act between security, humanitarian, and political interests and may mark a turning point in Syria’s sectarian conflict.
Israel conducted several airstrikes in Syria between April 30 and May 3 after sectarian clashes erupted in the country. “The IDF has carried out a warning operation and struck elements of an extremist group that was preparing to continue attacks on the Druze population,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz said on April 30. The IDF followed up with more strikes in Syria aimed at warning Damascus against harming members of the Druze minority, while others targeted military sites.
Sectarian tensions are flaring again in Syria after a series of clashes first erupted in the Damascus suburb of Jaramana, a diverse area home to Druze, Christian, and Muslim communities. Reports indicate that 14 people were killed in fights between armed groups in the town, while at least 16 others were killed in Ashrafiyet Sahnaya.
A group of Druze militants in Suwayda, southern Syria, has announced the formation of the Suwayda Military Council, a coalition of local armed groups aimed at protecting the region and maintaining security. The council stated its mission is to safeguard civilians and public property from violence and destruction while strengthening cooperation with other security factions. […]
The Al Nusrah Front, al Qaeda’s official branch in Syria, has issued a statement disavowing the massacre of Druze civilians in Idlib last week. The group doesn’t deny that its fighters are responsible for the slaughter, but claims that the jihadists disobeyed specific “directives” banning such acts.
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