The Syrian Interim Government reached a security agreement with Druze leaders in the southern governorate of Suwayda on May 1. The agreement aims to restore law and order in the areas controlled by the Druze by using local residents to activate the functions of the Ministry of the Interior and judicial police in Suwayda. It also stipulates securing the Damascus-Suwayda road, banning the interim government’s security forces from entering the city, unless public institutions are threatened, and preventing the deployment of external forces.
The deal was sealed after weeks of unrest in different areas inhabited by the Druze community, in the southern governorates of Rural Damascus and Suwayda.
The unrest is believed to have been sparked by a viral audio clip attributed to a Druze individual, insulting Prophet Mohammad, which provoked outrage on social media.
The Syrian Interior Ministry reportedly launched an official investigation into the incident, and issued a warrant for the accused individual on blasphemy charges, in a bid to calm public outrage and contain the situation before it potentially evolved into sectarian violence.
However, clashes took place in the Jaramana area in Rural Damascus, between pro-government forces and Druze fighters, and later spread to other areas in Rural Damascus, Damascus, and Suwayda.
According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, at least 134 people were killed in the unrest, which was described as “the deadliest wave of sectarian violence in recent Syrian history.” The death toll includes 14 civilians, 88 armed Druze fighters, and 32 members of the Syrian interim government.
Syrian Druze spiritual leader, Sheikh Hikmat Al-Hijri, condemned the assaults launched by the Syrian government forces on his community, calling it a “genocidal campaign”.
Growing sectarian tension raises concerns over interim government’s extremist ideology
Two months before the tension with the Druze community emerged, clashes erupted between Syria’s interim government forces and the Alawite community in the western coastal governorates of Latakia and Tartus. The clashes resulted in sectarian mass killings that claimed hundreds of lives.
The conflict with the Alawites had already raised concerns about the possible extremist ideological character of the Al-Sharaa’s administration. The fresh rift with the Druze minority has aggravated concerns, particularly in light of the history of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which Syria’s new rulers are affiliated with.
Telesur touched on possible repercussions that the HTS ideology and history would cast on Syria and the region in an opinion article published on April 24. The article pointed out that the rise of HTS as a legitimate group ruling Syria reinforces the fears related to managing sectarian and factional diversity.
In addition, it poses a serious threat across the “already unstable” West Asia region by “emboldening and expanding extremist ambitions” among other extremist groups. From the writer’s point of view, these groups might be inspired by HTS “to pursue power through violence.”
Israel encourages deepening of sectarian strife
As the conflict between the new Syrian government and the Druze community began to unfold, Israel took the protection of the Druze as a pretext to further breach Syria’s sovereignty.
On Friday, May 2, Israeli warplanes launched an airstrike near the presidential palace in the Syrian capital Damascus. The assault was described by Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz as a warning to the new “Syrian regime” against “harming the Druze population”.
“I again warn the head of the Syrian regime, Jolani: If the harm to the Druze in Syria does not stop, we will respond very harshly,” Katz said, threatening the new Syrian president, Ahmad al-Sharaa, and calling him by his previous nom de guerre.
For many, Katz’s justification of the strike is baseless because Israel has not stopped its unprovoked aerial attacks on Syria since the civil war erupted in the country in 2011.
In late 2024, Israel stepped up its aggression on Syria as armed opposition groups – led by HTS – advanced and ultimately overthrew al-Assad.
Israel has ever since expanded in Syria’s southern areas declaring an indefinite de facto occupation, while insisting on systematically devastating the country’s military assets and capabilities.
Nevertheless, the latest strike near the Syrian presidential palace once again exposed Israel’s relentless endeavors to destabilize countries across the region by deepening sectarian strife.
