Hikmat al-Hijri calls for a 'separate' region for Syria's Druze

BEIRUT — Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri, a member of the Druze Religious Council in Syria’s Sweida province, on Monday called on “honorable people around the world and free nations to join [him] in declaring a separate [Druze] region” in southern Syria.

His statement followed deadly sectarian clashes in July between Druze fighters and Sunni Bedouins in Sweida. Syrian security forces intervened — largely in support of the Bedouins — after a week of violence that left around 1,600 people dead, the majority of them Druze civilians, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. A cease-fire has since been in place.

“Our path begins under a new banner after the recent ordeal that aimed to exterminate the Druze community in Syria,” Hijri declared, according to reports from several outlets including Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency (NNA) and AFP.

“We welcome the new arrangements represented by the creation of the National Guard ... We are defenders of peace, not of evil, but we have the right to defend ourselves. What happened recently was a barbaric and brutal assault on us,” he added.

For reference

The Druze across the Middle East: Origins, allegiances and internal divisions

Hijri made the remarks while receiving a delegation from the Men of Dignity Movement, one of Sweida’s main armed factions, which announced it was ready to fight under his command. Last week, dozens of smaller local militias had already pledged allegiance to the newly formed “National Guard,” aiming to unify military efforts under Hijri’s leadership.

Among Syria’s top three Druze religious figures, Hijri is considered the most outspoken in his opposition to the transitional authorities in Damascus.

Thanks to US and Israel

Hijri also highlighted “the importance of paying close attention to every detail concerning the new arrangements in Sweida, in light of the creation of a Druze military wing, with international guarantees.” According to NNA and comments he gave to Russia Today, the sheikh also thanked the United States and Israel — particularly the Druze community in Israel — for their support of the Druze in Sweida.

As violence escalated in Sweida, Israel positioned itself as a “protector” of the Druze, a community with a strong presence in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. In late July, Israel reportedly sent humanitarian aid worth 2 million shekels (nearly $600,000), including food packages and medical supplies, according to the Israeli Foreign Affairs Ministry.

The Israeli army also bombed Syrian government forces during their brief deployment in the southern province and struck military headquarters in Damascus. While Syria's new leadership has repeatedly vowed to protect the country’s ethnic and religious groups, massacres along the coast in March that killed over 1,400 Alawites and the recent Sweida violence have raised questions about their ability to manage sectarian tensions. The government has said it will investigate the July clashes.

Despite the cease-fire in effect since July 20, the situation remains tense in Sweida, AFP reports. Residents accuse the government of imposing a blockade on the province — a claim Damascus denies, saying multiple aid convoys have entered.

On Aug.16, hundreds of people demonstrated in the Druze-controlled city of Sweida, demanding “self-determination” and waving both Druze and Israeli flags. Islamist authorities in the region have firmly rejected any form of separatism or federalism.