Khaberni - The spiritual leader of the Druze sect in Sweida, Hikmat Al-Hijri, affirmed his support for Israel in its regional war alongside the United States against Iran.
This was stated in a statement by Al-Hijri today, Tuesday, March 24, in which he endorsed what he called “the strategic direction of the allies” (America and Israel) in their “courageous” steps and “bold” decisions, according to his description.
He said that the movements represent a “glimmer of hope” to eliminate the “roots of destruction” in the Middle East, considering that the Iranian regime has sabotaged the stability of the region and caused harm to its people before others, as it has turned to isolation, non-acceptance of the other, and regional hostility, undermining the security and stability of peaceful nations, according to Al-Hijri.
He added that "Jabal Bashan" (Sweida province) has suffered from the damages during the previous Syrian regime era due to the “systematic policies” linking economic development with attempts of “forced Shi’ism”, ideological dependency, and interventions that sidelined the skilled and the rightful from their deserved positions.
The statement issued by Al-Hijri comes in the context of the ongoing battle between Israel and America on one hand, and Iran on the other hand, which has extended its effects on the ground to the regional countries, including Syria, which received some of the shells exchanged between the parties.
Israel is considered the greatest ally and supporter of Al-Hijri and his current in Sweida, where it has politically and militarily supported him against the Syrian government.
Al-Hijri hinted that the current government is an extension of the previous regime, saying, “The operator and supporter changed, but the goal remained the same,” affirming his support for every international direction moving seriously to eradicate the “roots of terrorism” wherever they are, and from wherever they originate.
The insistence on “self-determination”
The peak of the dispute between the government and Al-Hijri dates back to July 2025, when battles broke out between government forces and local factions of a Druze nature, on the background of fighting between the latter and Bedouin tribes in Sweida.
Since then, Al-Hijri, who has become the spiritual authority for the military and administrative entities managing Sweida, and the decision-maker in the city, announced his severance with the government in Damascus.
Al-Hijri insists on the principle of “self-determination” which refers to separating Sweida from its mother country, Syria, and managing it autonomously with support from Israel.
He said: “We adhere to our unifying (Druze) cause, and to our inherent right to self-determination, according to international laws and treaties that guarantee the rights of oppressed peoples, to fully obtain our rights, relying on our own strength and the support of our powerful allies, foremost among them the State of Israel, to build a secure and stable future, away from the dominance of gangs and terrorism.”
He referred to what he described as “the continued random shelling on civilian homes, and the killing of the innocent and passersby,” considering that “as shells of hatred rain down on the homes of the secure in Jabal Bashan, they also rain down on the secure civilians in the State of Israel” according to his expression.
He considered that “the enemy” is ideologically united in killing everyone who wants a “free and dignified life,” stating that what he calls “terror gangs,” whatever their sources, only master the “language of killing,” making stability in their presence humanly impossible, according to his description.
American initiative
Despite the severance between the government and the “National Guard” forces in Sweida, international and regional parties are trying to break the barrier between the two sides, especially America, which sponsored a prisoner exchange process on February 26 last, involving 25 detainees from the “National Guard” in exchange for 61 detainees from the government.
However, researchers and observers met by Enab Baladi, considered that the American initiative aimed to prevent the region from sliding into greater tension, and outcomes with unknown or uncertain results, in order to stop any possible armed conflict between the government and the local factions in Sweida.
Al-Hijri thanked everyone who worked publicly or behind the scenes to complete what he called “the humanitarian act,” affirming that efforts are still ongoing to complete the return of all “kidnapped” (detainees held by the government), indicating the possibility of other exchange deals in the future.
Crisis in Sweida
Sweida province is experiencing a complex crisis, the contours of which began at the beginning of the fall of the regime, where the new administration attempted to integrate the factions within the state, but the process was hampered due to the lack of consensus among the parties.
In July 2025, the Syrian army attempted to enter the city, claiming it was to break up clashes that had erupted between the Druze component, which forms the majority of the province, and residents from the Bedouin communities.
The government intervention was accompanied by violations against the city’s residents, from the Druze sect, leading to widespread clashes, and resulting in Israel entering the fray, constantly threatening to protect the Druze in Syria, under the pretext of familial ties, which eventually escalated to striking the capital Damascus, and targeting the army personnel who entered the city center.
The Israeli strikes led to the withdrawal of the Syrian government forces out of Sweida city, and their positioning in the western countryside, where they controlled over 30 villages.
In return, the withdrawal did not end the crisis but complicated it further after local factions committed violations against the Bedouin residents, driven by revenge, leading to the emergence of “tribal pleas” to support the Bedouin tribes of Sweida, and thus, the clashes and violations continued from both sides.
