Damascus rejects Druze Leader’s remarks as foreign-backed

Shafaq News – Damascus

Syria’s Foreign Ministry voiced support, on Saturday, for administrative decentralization while dismissing remarks by Druze Spiritual Leader Hikmat Salman al-Hijri about the recent violence in Suwayda.

In a press statement, Qutaiba Idlibi, Head of the Ministry’s US Affairs Department, said Damascus aims to reunite Syrians “in the best and fastest way possible” to restore stability. He accused the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) of amplifying figures like al-Hijri, “who do not represent the communities they claim to speak for.”

While condemning appeals for Israeli intervention in the wake of recent clashes in the province, Idlibi argued that al-Hijri’s and the SDF’s positions reflect dependence on foreign powers, insisting that any dialogue must remain “Syrian–Syrian.”

He further warned that Damascus would not tolerate “a repeat of Hezbollah-like models” on its territory.

Earlier today, al-Hijri urged an international investigation into the Suwayda violence and the referral of perpetrators to the International Criminal Court, accusing armed groups and pro-government forces of “systematic genocide” involving executions of children and the elderly, the burning of homes with residents inside, kidnappings, sieges, and indiscriminate shelling of villages.