Druse and a friend: Will Israel be able to protect the community in Syria

The outbreak of violence between Sunnis and Druze in southern Syria turned into fierce fighting in a matter of days. At the same time, Israel declared its readiness to protect the Druze community, and Damascus declared the inadmissibility of foreign interference. As a result of the fighting, the number of dead exceeded one hundred. The Druze leader said that the community no longer trusts the Syrian authorities. According to the agreements, the SAR army began withdrawing forces from the borders of the province of Al-Suwayda. What caused the escalation and whether local clashes will escalate into a new escalation of the conflict is in the Izvestia article.

Fighting in Syria

One 30-second audio recording was enough to trigger armed clashes in Syria. The file, which contained insults against the Prophet Muhammad, instantly spread across social networks and instant messengers. The charges immediately fell on one of the prominent representatives of the Druze community, Sheikh Marwan Kivan. He denied his involvement, calling the incident "a provocation aimed at inciting discord," and stressed that the voice in the recording was not his. However, the wave of violence has already risen.

First, anti-Druze protests broke out at the University of Homs, followed by shootings in the vicinity of Damascus. Within a few days, the conflict engulfed Jaramana, Sahnaya and even the province of Al-Suwayda itself, the traditional center of residence of the Syrian Druze. The government in Damascus initially took a wait-and-see attitude, and then stated that the origin of the recording had not been established and an investigation was underway. However, the idea has already become established in the ranks of the Druze: the authorities are inactive, and perhaps they are contributing to aggression.

More than a hundred people have been killed in clashes over the past week, including 92 Syrian government security forces, nine Druze civilians and several Druze self-defense fighters. The main impact fell on Jaraman, a city with a predominantly Druze-Christian population.

On May 1, the spiritual leader of the Syrian Druze, Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri, called what was happening a "campaign of genocide" against his community. "This collective killing is systemic, obvious and documented," al-Hijri said in a statement. The sheikh added that the Druze no longer trust those who call themselves the government.: "A real state does not destroy its own people at the hands of extremist gangs, which it also patronizes, and then does not justify itself by allegedly not controlling the situation."

Israel, which traditionally considers itself the defender of the Druze community in the Middle East, launched airstrikes against extremist groups allegedly preparing an attack on Druze in Sakhnai. Moreover, the aircraft of the Jewish state attacked an object near the presidential palace in Damascus, which was a strong signal for the new government. In addition, over the past two days, the Israeli military has evacuated 10 Syrian Druze injured during clashes to a hospital in Safed in the north of the country.

The situation does not escalate into genocide like the events among the Alawites on the Syrian coast for only one reason — active actions on the part of Israel, said Alain Saab, an expert on Druze communities, in an interview with Izvestia.

The Syrian army began withdrawing forces from al-Suwayda.

Amid fierce fighting, Damascus demanded that the leaders of the Druze community disarm the self-defense forces and hand over weapons to the state. However, the Druze representatives categorically refused, claiming their right to protect and maintain internal control over Al-Suwayda. Another step that has caused distrust among local residents is the announcement by Damascus of plans to send commanders to the province to coordinate the work of security forces. And this step was met with rejection.

The reasons for the violence lie in the dissemination of statements that caused ethnic and religious tension and escalated the situation, says Alain Saab. Accusations of "separatism" are increasingly being made against the Druze in Syria, in particular for refusing to allow security forces outside their community to enter their areas. Suspicions are also fueled by accusations of ties to Israel, especially after the airstrikes by the Jewish state. In videos circulating on social media, security forces call the Druze "infidels" and "apostates from Islam."

— These are not just local skirmishes between armed groups, but a systemic crisis related to the inability of Damascus to control radical groups operating under the guise of public security services. Integration of Druze groups is out of the question, the Druze do not trust Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS, recognized as terrorist and banned in Russia) ever since they came to power," the expert said.

Against the background of the four-day standoff in early May, a number of agreements were reached between the Druze and representatives of the central authorities. According to the agreement of May 2, the Syrian army began withdrawing forces from the borders of the province of Al-Suwayda, handing over control of internal points to local police recruited from residents of the region. Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to the territorial integrity of Syria, the rejection of international intervention and the desire to restore stability.

However, these steps are still perceived as a fragile compromise. Trust in the central authorities remains extremely low, and any violations of the agreements reached may lead to escalation again. Especially considering the uncontrollability of radical Sunni groups centered in Damascus.

— The risks of escalation are very serious. In addition, Israeli troops may enter Essaouida. The most dangerous thing is the continuation of the conflict in areas far from the provincial center, if Suwayda itself is generally protected by local government forces, then suburbs such as Jaramana and Sahnaya are deprived of reliable defense," said Alain Saab.

According to the expert, it is here that the most tragic scenarios can develop. Moreover, any outbreaks of violence against Druze in one region can lead to harassment of community members in other parts of the country where they do not have the ability to defend themselves.

Leadership within the community is traditionally distributed among the three main clans — al-Hijri, al-Hinnawi and Djerbu, Alain Saab notes. The most prominent figure in recent years has been Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri, who gained credibility during the protests against the regime of Bashar al-Assad in 2023. Compared to him, other religious leaders, such as Yusuf Djerbou and Hammoud al-Hinnawi, take more moderate positions and try not to aggravate relations with Damascus.

Nicholas Heras, senior director of the New Lines Institute in Washington, warns that if President al-Sheraa and his subordinates fail to fulfill their promises, the entire interim administration system may collapse under the weight of religious contradictions. This creates a real threat that the Druze community will be drawn into a cycle of violence that could escalate into a full-scale sectarian war between Sunnis and Druze at any moment, Heras said.