Joumblatt and Druze sheikh Akl condemn Israeli attacks in Syria

The two most influential leaders of the Druze community in Lebanon, Walid Joumblatt and Sheikh Akl Sami Abi al-Mouna, condemned on Saturday the "repeated" Israeli attacks on Syria, including those that targeted Damascus's outskirts and other regions on Friday night.

In a statement released by the state-run National News Agency (NNA), Joumblatt, former leader of the Progressive Socialist Party (PSP), called on Arabs and the international community to "support Syria" and "pressure the Israeli enemy to end its interference, ongoing violations by air and land and its occupation of parts of Syrian territory."

Joumblatt visited Syria on Friday, where he met the interim president, Ahmad al-Sharaa, in the presence of Foreign Minister Assaad Shaibani. This visit followed deadly communal clashes between Druze militiamen and armed groups linked to the new power earlier this week, which resulted in over 100 deaths, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR).

On the night from Friday to Saturday, more than 20 Israeli strikes targeted military sites across Syria, the "most violent" bombings this year, according to the SOHR, after Israel announced a strike near the presidential palace in Damascus.

In this context, the Lebanese Druze leader also indicated that "Israeli violations hinder the political solution we are working on with the interim Syrian president Ahmad al-Sharaa."

Ending clashes

Since the fall of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Dec. 8, 2024, Israel, which views the new authorities with suspicion, has carried out hundreds of attacks on military sites in Syria, claiming to prevent weapons from falling into the hands of the new authorities it labels as "jihadists," and to protect the Druze in Syria. This esoteric community, derived from a branch of Shiite Islam, is also established in Israel and Lebanon. On Saturday morning, the Israeli army announced it was deployed in southern Syria, stating it was ready to intervene to protect Druze villages.

Sheikh Sami Abi al-Mouna, a prominent figure of the Druze community in Lebanon, contacted Druze sheikhs in Syria as part of efforts to contain the situation, end attacks against community members in Syria and halt the clashes, reported NNA.

The Druze religious dignitary informed his Syrian counterparts of the "efforts made," notably with influential Arab and Islamic countries in Syria, the latest being "the meeting held Friday in Deir al-Taifa with ambassadors of Arab countries and Turkey in Lebanon," urging these nations to "assume their responsibilities towards our peoples in affected areas and protect them." He also extended his condolences to the "martyrs of legitimate defense, honor and dignity, who fell during the bloody events in Jaramana, Achrafieh, Sahnaya and Jabal" and condemned "the recent attacks carried out by the Israeli enemy on parts of Syrian territory," stating that this "offensive intervention exacerbates tensions."