Druze Put Their Cards on the Table: 'Israel Was the First to Help'

A New York Times investigation reveals the growing dependence of the Druze in Suwayda on Israeli backing against Damascus. Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri declares that Israel was the first to help, and the Druze National Guard, numbering about 28,000 fighters, maintains continuous contact with Israel. The province remains the only one not to have submitted to the central government, amid violence that has claimed over 1,700 victims.

A comprehensive New York Times investigation, published recently, reveals the public dimension of Israeli intervention in Syria: the Druze enclave in the Suwayda province in southern Syria increasingly relies on Israeli backing against attempts by the new Syrian government to take control. Last summer, after violent clashes in the province, the Israeli Air Force struck targets of the Syrian Defense Ministry and areas near the presidential palace in Damascus, as well as government forces in Suwayda. The Israeli demand was clear: demilitarize the area and prevent the entry of the Syrian army or its allies. The moves are openly appreciated by the local Druze leadership. Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri, the spiritual leader of the Druze in Suwayda and the most prominent voice calling for full separation from the government of Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, who ousted Bashar al-Assad in 2024, stated: "Israel stood by us and was the first to extend a helping hand." Additionally, the Druze National Guard, a militia numbering about 28,000 fighters, has continuous contact with Israel, according to the organization's spokesman, Talal Ammar. Suwayda remains the only province in Syria that has not yet submitted to the central government in Damascus, after earlier this year the government forcibly took over areas controlled by Kurds in the northeast. The Druze community watches with concern, especially after last summer's events in which over 1,700 people, mostly Druze, were killed in a wave of sectarian violence that began with land disputes with Bedouins and escalated with the intervention of government forces. New York Times reporters, who visited the province in recent months, describe a grim reality of a fragile ceasefire. Snipers exchange fire across olive groves, and clashes frequently erupt along the seam line between the National Guard and government forces. Druze residents and officials accuse Damascus of applying pressure through electricity and water cuts and preventing humanitarian aid. In contrast, the provincial governor appointed by the central government, Mustafa al-Bakour, denies the accusations, claims the government pays salaries, and calls al-Hijri and his men "a gang with personal interests." While Syrian President al-Sharaa accuses Israel of trying to sow "chaos" and harm the country's unity, in Suwayda they are preparing for the worst. For thousands of displaced Druze who lost their homes and property in the severe violence, the return to normalcy seems more distant than ever. The prevailing feeling in the isolated province is that the next major confrontation with the regime is only a matter of time.