Syrian Druze fighters patrol the streets of the city of Sweida, in the south of the country, after the withdrawal of government troops, on July 17, 2025. (Credit: AFP)
Lebanese Druze leader Walid Joumblatt called on Sunday for the opening of a dialogue among all groups in Syria under the leadership of the authorities, following the announcement of a cease-fire that ended a week of bloody communal clashes between Druze fighters and rival groups in Sweida.
The Syrian government announced late Saturday into Sunday the end of fighting in the south of the country, which was immediately resumed by Druze groups. The violence between these groups and Sunni Bedouins, which began on July 13 in the Sweida region, has caused 940 deaths, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR).
A ‘comprehensive political solution’ in Syria
Former Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) leader Walid Joumblatt emphasized the necessity of a cease-fire in Sweida as a prerequisite to advance the next steps of the process. He insisted that “a comprehensive political solution is the only way to preserve the authority of the Syrian state and to address the legitimate demands of the inhabitants of the Druze Mountain,” calling for the opening of a dialogue among all religious, political and communal components under the aegis of the state.
He denounced “any declarations calling for international or Israeli protection,” arguing that “such proposals undermine Syria’s sovereignty as well as the national and Arab heritage of Soueida.” Some voices within the Druze community, notably in Syria, have called for Israeli protection of the community amid growing anger against the authority of Ahmad al-Sharaa, who is accused of failing to protect the Druze of Soueida. Joumblatt urged “an end to the escalation, lifting the siege on the affected areas, and serious efforts to avoid any new surge in tensions.” He also reminded that “the Druze of Syria are an authentic component of the Syrian national and Arab fabric, and it is unacceptable to exclude them from their Arab identity or to treat them as foreigners in their natural environment.”
Blocking the path to Israeli interference
In a separate statement, the PSP called on the Syrian state, the people of Sweida, and the Arab tribes to “work to consolidate the ceasefire, which is more important than any other consideration, including revenge, to ensure Syria’s security, stability and unity.” The party urged the Syrian government to act seriously to regain control over the chaotic and unstable situation in the Sweida governorate and to end attacks on Druze villages in the Druze Mountain, thereby preventing calls for international protection or Israeli interference.
After a government forces intervention in Sweida during the week, which led to killings in the region, the Israeli army carried out bombings and strikes against military headquarters in Damascus. Walid Joumblatt sharply criticized these Israeli actions, accusing the Israeli state of “pitting the Druze against all components of Syrian society.”
The PSP concluded: “Consolidating the cease-fire is the gateway to the second phase, namely political dialogue aimed at integrating the Sweida governorate into the Syrian state and its official institutions.”
Walid Joumblatt had already called for dialogue in Syria on Friday and requested a “clear plan to establish security and then absorb armed Druze elements into the Syrian police or army.” He was the first Lebanese political figure to travel to Syria to meet the new leader Ahmad al-Sharaa on Dec. 22, 2024, just weeks after the fall of the Assad regime.
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