Mufti Abdel Latif Derian (left), and Sheikh Akl Sami Abi al-Mona. (Credit: NNA)
The spiritual leaders of the Sunni and Druze communities in Lebanon, Abdel Latif Derian and Sami Abi al-Mona, called on Friday, during a phone call, to "avoid falling into the trap of sedition," as clashes in the Sweida region in southern Syria between Druze and Bedouin forces, following Syrian government intervention, raise fears of communal tensions in Lebanon.
President Joseph Aoun chaired a meeting on the "security situation" in the country, while former head of the Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) Walid Joumblatt urged the establishment of a "plan to absorb Druze fighters" into the Syrian state forces.
More on the Sweida clashes
Druze in Lebanon agitated amid Sweida clashes: 'Our brothers are trapped'
Against 'provocative acts and foreign interventions'
In a statement, Mona's press office said he received a call from Derian, during which both men emphasized the "Islamic and national brotherhood that unites their two communities." Commenting on the situation in Sweida, where fighting resumed between Bedouin tribes and Druze fighters Friday morning, they expressed their "sorrow and deep pain," and called for people to "not be drawn into hate speech and avoid any provocative acts that could fuel tensions." They stressed the need to "avoid falling into the trap of sedition, sought by the enemies," adding that they "reject any foreign interference or aggression aimed at destabilizing the unity and historic relations between the two communities," as Israel bombed Syrian government forces in the Sweida and Damascus regions, stating it sought to protect the Druze.
Syrian government forces are mainly made up of former Islamist groups, led by Ahmad al-Sharaa, who was, before becoming president, the head of Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham, originating from the Nusra Front, the Syrian branch of al-Qaeda. The two dignitaries also called on the Syrian state and all concerned parties, as well as religious authorities, to "work to halt the violence immediately" and to "expel extremists." Derian traveled to Damascus on July 6 and met with Sharaa.
The clashes in Sweida are raising fears of security tensions or spillover in Lebanon, where altercations and controversies have sporadically occurred between members of different communities. The mobilization of Lebanese Druze and the fact that some Sunnis from Tripoli have voiced support for President Sharaa have raised fears of conflict spreading to Lebanon. To prevent escalation, some municipalities, including Aley, in a majority-Druze mountain region, have imposed a night-time curfew on Syrian nationals.
Joumblatt, cease-fire and dialogue
Joumblatt stressed, in an interview with France 24, "the need for a cease-fire in Sweida, followed by a dialogue between all religious, political and sectarian components with the Syrian state." He called for "a clear plan to establish security and then absorb the armed Druze elements into the police or Syrian army." Joumblatt also denounced Israeli strikes on Syria, which "add fuel to the fire and put the Druze in confrontation with all other components of Syrian society."
The security situation was also discussed at a meeting at the Baabda presidential palace, chaired by the president, attended by the heads of various security bodies and several ministers, including Interior Minister Ahmad Hajjar, Defense Minister Michel Menassa and Justice Minister Adel Nassar.
The meeting also addressed, according to the presidency, the issue of prison overcrowding and Syrian detainees, which resurfaced as reports — later denied by Syrian authorities — suggested Sharaa was preparing retaliatory measures against Lebanon if the issue of Syrian prisoners in Lebanese jails was not resolved quickly.
Separately, on Friday, rumors circulated in some news outlets that the Minister of Public Works and Transport, Fayez Rassamny, a member of the Druze community, received threats during his tour of the port of Tripoli. Rassamny himself denied these reports to L’Orient-Le Jour, stating that they are "baseless" and that he "finished his visit to Tripoli port as planned."
