Syria | Special Dispatch No. 12080
On July 13, 2025, clashes broke out in Al-Suwayda Governorate in southern Syria between Druze factions and Bedouin tribes following several mutual kidnapping incidents. The new Syrian government headed by Ahmed Al-Sharaa (aka Abu Mohammad Al-Joulani) quickly seized this escalation as an opportunity to intervene militarily in the governorate, which is not under its full security control, and sent troops to “enforce security” there.
In light of damage caused to its image by the massacres perpetrated against Alawite civilians on the Syrian coast in March 2025, with the participation of government forces,[1] the government stressed that the Syrian soldiers and security officers had been instructed to protect civilians and avoid harming them in any way.[2] But in practice, there were many documented incidents of Syrian forces firing indiscriminately at civilians, looting their property, torching their homes and humiliating them.[3] Dozens of Druze have been killed so far, including women and children.[4]
These developments prompted Hikmat Al-Hijri, the prominent spiritual leader of the Druze community in Syria, who is based in Al-Suwayda and is a known opponent of the Al-Sharaa government, to issue a statement on June 16 calling on world leaders – including U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu[5] – to “save Al-Suwayda.”
It should be noted that, in a statement he issued one day earlier, Al-Hijri actually called on the Syrian government to extend its control over the Al-Suwayda Governorate, welcomed the arrival of its forces there, and exhorted all the local armed factions to cooperate with these forces.[6] However, a short time later, when the government forces’ violence against the Druze civilians continued, he released a statement claiming that his previous “humiliating” statement had been issued “under coercion from Damascus and pressure from foreign countries.” He added that Al-Suwayda was facing a war and called to confront it.[7]
It should also be noted that this is not the first time the Syrian Druze have been attacked by the forces of the new government. In late April, following extreme incitement, armed action was perpetrated against them in the Damascus area and in southern Syria.[8]
The following is a translation of Al-Hijri’s July 16, 2025 statement:
“The Spiritual Leadership of the Monotheistic Muslims,[9] the Druze
“We call upon the free world and all the forces operating within it, upon [U.S.] President Donald Trump, [Israeli] Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, [Saudi] Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman and His Royal Highness the [Jordanian] King Abdullah II, and upon anyone who has a voice and influence in the world, to save the Suwayda [Governorate].
“Our people are being exterminated and murdered in cold blood. The murderers do not distinguish between young and old, woman and child, doctor and sheikh. They destroy churches and houses of worship. These massacres are being perpetrated in front of the entire world, and silence continues to kill. We hold the international community fully responsible for fulfilling its humanitarian and moral duty of stopping this systematic [killing].
“The mask has fallen from the face of the oppressive and tyrannical gang that rules [Syria]. We call upon our Sunni brethren to take a clear stand on what is happening to their fellow Syrians, for we have never been enemies or rivals and we can no longer coexist with a regime that can only rule with iron and fire and [wield] power through violence and abuse.
“Our call to you is not political, but humanitarian and moral. [Act] before it is too late. Save a people that is being murdered simply for asking to live in dignity.”[10]
SOURCES:
[1] See MEMRI Special Dispatch No. 11872 – Syrian Journalists Warned Before HTS’ Massacres Against The Alawites: The New Regime Is Allowing Acts Of Vengeance Against Them; International Intervention Is A Necessity, March 11, 2025.
[2] T.me/sana_gov/133658, July 15, 2025; X.com/Murhaf_abuqasra, July 14, 2025.
[3] Facebook.com/Suwayda24, July 15, 2025.
[4] Syriahr.com, July 16, 2025.
[5] After the advent of the Al-Sharaa government, Israel declared that it would protect the Syrian Druze from any abuse by his forces. On several occasions it indeed attacked Syrian forces who were acting against the Druze, including in the present round of clashes.
[6] Facebook.com/profile.php?id=100089249525829, July 15, 2025.
[7] Facebook.com/profile.php?id=100089249525829, July 15, 2025.
[8] Facebook.com/Syriatvnews, April 30, 2025; T.me/news7al/39449, May 12, 2025.
[9] “Monotheistic Muslims” is a term the Druze apply to themselves.
[10] Facebook.com/profile.php?id=100089249525829, July 16, 2025.
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EDITORS NOTE: This MEMRI column is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.
The post The Spiritual Leader Of The Syrian Druze, Hikmat Al-Hijri, Calls On Trump, Netanyahu, Bin Salman And Abdullah II To Save The Druze Of The Al-Suwayda Governorate From The Syrian Government appeared first on Dr. Rich Swier.
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Author: Middle East Media Research Institute
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