Druze leader seeks Israeli-backed transition in Suwayda

Shafaq News– Suwayda

Druze Spiritual leader Sheikh Hikmat Al-Hijri on Tuesday called for Syria’s division into separate entities, announcing a break with Damascus.

In an interview with Yedioth Ahronoth, Al-Hijri credited Israel with “saving the Druze from genocide,” portraying it as the “only actor to have intervened militarily in defense of the Druze.” Noting that residents were prevented from traveling for medical treatment or education and that Israel had treated hundreds of wounded Syrians, he described the Syrian government as “hostile to minority communities.”

Suwayda, he said, has faced isolation since July 2025, when fighting between Bedouin groups and local fighters drew in Syrian forces and allied tribes, leaving more than 1,400 people dead, mostly Druze, and about 176,000 displaced, creating what he called a state of “full mobilization.”

Al-Hijri praised Israel as “a state governed by law,” shifting his demands from local autonomy to a separate Druze state in Suwayda, and proposed a transition overseen by outside actors, naming Israel. He also outlined cooperation with Kurdish forces, citing their administrative and security structures.

Syrian authorities have not issued an official response.