Syrian Druze leader urges local fighters to confront incoming government troops

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Syrian Druze leader Sheikh Hikmat al-Hajri called on all Druze to confront this barbaric campaign with all means available.

PHOTO: REUTERS

SWEIDA, Syria - A leading Druze spiritual leader accused the Syrian leadership in Damascus of bombarding the southern city of Sweida despite having reached an agreement to quell violence, and he called on fighters to confront Syrian troops entering the city.

The video statement by influential Druze Sheikh Hikmat al-Hajri on July 15 poses a challenge for the government of President Ahmed al-Sharaa, whose forces toppled former leader Bashar al-Assad in December 2024 and is seeking to bring all of Syrian territory under centralised rule after nearly 14 years of war that had left the country divided into separate enclaves.

For months, Druze leaders said they did not trust the new Syrian government and pushed back against the presence of their troops, saying they would secure Sweida with their own local fighters.

Neighbouring Israel also conducted strikes on Syrian troops in Sweida and near Damascus with the stated aim of protecting the Druze minority, which is an offshoot of Islam with adherents in Syria, Lebanon and Israel.

But earlier this week, a new round of heavy fighting broke out between Druze armed groups and Bedouin fighters in Sweida province, leaving dozens dead and thousands displaced. Syria’s defence and interior ministries dispatched units to quell the fighting and exert control over the province.

The Druze spiritual leadership said in a written statement on July 15 morning that it would allow Syrian forces to enter Sweida city