Al-Suwayda Druze Leader Demands ‘Independence’ From Syria, Laying Ground For Israeli Invasion

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The spiritual leader of the Druze community in Syria, Hikmat al-Hajri, said on October 27 that self-determination for the people of al-Suwayda is “an absolute right that cannot be revoked”, stressing that his vision is based on the “complete independence” of the governorate.

Druze armed factions backed the Islamist rebel offensive that overthrew the regime of former President Bashar al-Assad last December, but later refused to allow the forces of the country’s new Islamist-led Interim Government to enter al-Suwayda, maintaining a form of autonomy over the governorate.

In July a battle broke out in al-Suwayda, when an intervention by government forces to end a local conflict involving bedouins quickly escalated into an all-out, sectarian-fueled attack on the Druze. Israel, which vowed to protect the community after the fall of the Assad regime, eventually intervened, and the battle ended with a ceasefire brokered by the United States.

The battle claimed the lives of more than 3,000 people, around a third of them were Druze civilians executed by government troops and bedouins. Hundreds others were abducted.

To this day, government forces are still occupying over 30 towns abandoned by their Druze population in the northern and western countryside of al-Suwayda. The rest of the governorate is under siege.

“The number of kidnapped people exceeds 600, including women, and the government in Damascus is obstructing any negotiations regarding them,” al-Hajri revealed in an interview with Sky News Arabia.

The Druze leader pointed out that “the government in Damascus has not yet committed to withdrawing from the affected towns and is insisting on distorting the facts.”

“We call on the international community to recognize the ‘genocide’ that the people of Sweida faced, and it is essential to uncover the truth about what happened,” he added.

Right after the battle, Druze factions unified in a single formation, the National Guard, and have reportedly begun receiving support from Israel.

In August, the Syrian government, the U.S. and Jordan announced an agreement to solve the issue of al-Suwayda. It was, however, quickly rejected by al-Hajri and other Druze leaders in the governorate. Aside from a few prisoner swaps, no progress has been made since.

Earlier this month, al-Hajri sent a letter to United Nations Secretary-General, members of the UN Security Council, the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Arab League, and Amnesty International, stating that “Jabal al-Bashan” [the Hebrew name for Jabal al-Arab] has been suffering “for months from a comprehensive and harsh siege that threatens the lives of civilians.”

The use of the Hebrew name for al-Suwayda was seen by many observers as an attempt to legitimize any future Israeli invasion of southern Syria.

In fact, Israel codenamed the military operation it launched after the fall of the Assad regime “Arrow of Bashan”. During the operation, the Israeli military occupied the buffer zone adjacent to the Golan Heights and destroyed most of the country’s military capabilities.

All recent reports from Hebrew and Arab media suggest that Israel and Syria are close to signing a security agreement. Still, in his recent interview al-Hajri appeared to be determined to move away from Syria, a move that the government would never accept and the Druze themselves won’t be capable of without support from Israel.

Al-Suwayda could only get complete independence from Syria if Israel invades all of the country’s south and secures a land route to the governorate. Al-Hajri may be hoping for this, or more likely knows for a fact that Israel will make the move and that a security agreement is not going to happen.

Government forces have no real presence in southern Syria. All heavy weapons have already been moved north on the demands of Israel.

Any invasion will not likely be met with any real resistance. However, thousands of troops will be needed to keep the region from al-Qunitra to Daraa to al-Suwayda under control. The National Guard, which reportedly have more than 5,000 Druze fighters, could do that. The Israeli military will just have to provide air support and conduct some raids here and there, as it is already doing, at least in al-Qunitra.

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