Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Al-Nakhalah: We are the rightful owners, and we must fight to retrieve our rights
Al-Nakhalah: The enemy and its allies must know that we can never surrender to their terms and diktats after all the sacrifices made
Al-Nakhalah: The prisoner exchange clause can be completed in the next few days, and thus we will have pulled the [explosion] fuse and removed the enemy's justifications for aggression
Al-Nakhalah: The Resistance has expressed its willingness to negotiate on the basis that there are items that can be dealt with positively, the first of which is the prisoner exchange item
Al-Nakhalah: Trump's plan entails the Palestinian people's declaration of complete surrender to the enemy
PIJ Secretary-General, Ziyad al-Nakhalah, in an address aired on Al Mayadeen: The Resistance is engaging in a fierce negotiating battle under the so-called Trump plan
Russian Federation Council approves joint military cooperation agreement with Cuba
Al-Nunu: Today, the lists of prisoners required to be released, the agreed-upon criteria and numbers, were exchanged
Al-Nunu from Sharm el-Sheikh: Negotiations focused on mechanisms for implementing an end to the war, the withdrawal of occupation forces from the Gaza Strip, and the exchange of prisoners
Al-Nunu from Sharm el-Sheikh: Mediators are making great efforts to remove any obstacles in the way of implementing the ceasefire, and a sense of optimism now prevails among all parties

Al-Sharaa declares protection of Druze a national priority for Syria

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Al Mayadeen English
  • 17 Jul 2025 05:30
  • 3 Shares
5 Min Read

Syria's al-Sharaa says authorities are working with Druze leaders to factions to restore order in Sweida.

Listen
  • x
  • Al-Sharaa declares protection of Druze a national priority for Syria.
    Syria's interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa walks in the presidential palace ahead of a meeting in Damascus, Syria, December 28, 2024. (AP)

Syrian interim president Ahmad al-Sharaa affirmed on Wednesday that Syria remains unified in the face of attempts to sow division, declaring that the country will not become an arena for foreign conspiracies or ambitions.

In a televised address amid the ongoing unrest in Sweida governorate and Israeli attacks on Sweida and Damascus, al-Sharaa underscored that "Syrians, with their long history, have always rejected all forms of division." He emphasized that the Syrian people are "the children of this land and the most capable of overcoming Israeli attempts to fragment us."

The Syrian president stated that Syria is not a testing ground for external agendas, calling for collective efforts to rebuild the nation and rally around national unity.

"Building a new Syria requires us to stand firmly by our homeland," he said.

Protecting Druze is a priority

Al-Sharaa acknowledged the role of Syria’s Druze community, saying they are “an essential part of the national fabric,” and affirmed that their protection is a top “priority”. He announced the decision to entrust some local factions and Druze religious leaders with restoring order, following days of deadly clashes in the southern governorate.

He explained, “We were faced with the choice of war with Israel or allowing Druze elders to broker an agreement... and we chose to protect the homeland.”

The interim president accused the Israeli occupation of seeking, since the fall of the previous regime, to turn Syria into a battleground and to tear apart the nation’s social cohesion. He said such ambitions would be thwarted: “There is no place for others’ ambitions on our land. We will restore Syria’s dignity and must put national interest above all else.”

This is despite the fact that al-Sharaa's government has met with Israeli officials on multiple occasions to establish relations, partition the occupied Syrian Golan, and guarantee Israeli security under American and Azerbaijani sponsorship.

Al-Sharaa claimed that Syrian state institutions had intervened to halt the internal conflict in Sweida, stating that the state’s actions had succeeded in restoring security. He added that Israelis had sought to undermine these efforts, but “only an international mediation effort: American, Arab, and Turkish, prevented further escalation.”

While stressing that Damascus does not fear confrontation, al-Sharaa insisted that “we chose the interest of the people over chaos, and our best option was to protect the unity of the homeland.”

Related News

Ceasefire reached in Aleppo after SDF - Regime clashes

Fierce clashes erupt between SDF and transitional forces in Aleppo

However, field documentations have shown that forces affiliated with the Syrian government committed multiple atrocities against civilians in the southern governorate.

Read more: Sheikh al-Hijri appeals to US, 'Israel' to stop ‘genocide’ in Sweida

Israeli strikes target Syrian military HQ

Earlier in the day, Israeli missiles struck the General Staff Headquarters in Damascus and reportedly targeted the Tishreen Presidential Palace. The strikes marked a significant escalation in the recent Israeli targeting of Syrian military and state sites.

Syrian state media reported damage to infrastructure but has yet to issue an official casualty toll.

Read more: Syrian Observatory: Field execution toll in Sweida rises to 248

Damascus says ceasefire reached

Later on Wednesday, Syrian Arab Army units began withdrawing from the southern city of Sweida, marking the implementation of a ceasefire agreement reached between the Syrian state and senior Druze religious leaders in the province, according to the state-run SANA news agency.

The withdrawal follows an earlier announcement by the Interior Ministry confirming that a full ceasefire had been agreed upon after several days of armed clashes and heightened security tensions in the city.

The HQs of the Druze Muslim Community in Syria also issued a statement declaring an immediate halt to all military operations and confirming that all sides had committed to de-escalation.

Read more: Syria, now buffer zone, places 'Israel' on Iraqi border: IOF colonel

Druze leadership split over ceasefire agreement

The Druze community in Syria is characterized by having several spiritual leaders, and while that includes al-Jarbou, it also includes Sheikh Ahmad al-Hijri, as well as Sheikh Hammoud al-Hinnawi. 

As al-Jarbou declared that a ceasefire deal was reached, Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri declared that the fight to defend Sweida must continue until the province is fully liberated from government forces, rejecting any negotiations or ceasefire agreements with armed factions operating in the area.

In a firm statement issued by the spiritual leadership, Sheikh al-Hijri emphasized that "the continuation of defense and fighting is a national, humanitarian, and moral duty that cannot be compromised." He called on the remnants of what he described as "criminal gangs" to immediately lay down their arms and surrender.

"There is no agreement, negotiation, or mandate granted to the armed gangs that falsely claim to be a government," Sheikh al-Hijri stated, stressing that any attempt to engage with such groups contradicts the unified position of the Druze leadership.

Read more: Syria's Druze leaders divided over ceasefire; IOF vow more operations

  • Syria
  • Ahmad al-Sharaa
  • Druze
  • Israeli aggression
  • Damascus
  • Israel
  • Sweida

Most Read

Tucker Carlson speaks at a memorial for Charlie Kirk, Sunday, September 21, 2025, at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona (AP)

Tucker Carlson: Israeli officers gave orders on Iran inside Pentagon

  • Politics
  • 2 Oct 2025
A Hamas fighter in combat fatigues stands before the ceremony for the handover of Israeli captives to the Red Cross in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip, Saturday, February 22, 2025 (AP)

Hamas responds to Trump plan, backs Gaza withdrawal, exchange

  • Politics
  • 3 Oct 2025
ap

'Israel' pays influencers $7K per post to whitewash Gaza genocide

  • Politics
  • 1 Oct 2025
Mossad’s secret role in Aldo Moro’s 1978 murder revealed

Mossad’s secret role in Aldo Moro’s 1978 murder exposed

  • Politics
  • 5 Oct 2025

Coverage

All
War on Gaza

Read Next

All
In this May 20, 20201, photo Marine Gen. Frank McKenzie, the head of US Central Command, arrives in Baghdad, Iraq (AP)
Politics

US spent $33 billion on post-Oct.7 genocide, wars, Brown Uni reports

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., holds a news conference to mark the seventh day of the government shutdown, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025. (AP)
Politics

US troops face unpaid wages as government shutdown drags on

Mourners wave Hezbollah and a Palestinian flag during the funeral of Hezbollah former leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and his successor Sayyed Hashem Safieddine in the Sports City Stadium in Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, February 23, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Hezbollah voices support for Gaza, Resistance on October 7 anniversary

Al-Aqsa Flood restored Palestinian cause on the global stage: Hamas
Politics

Al-Aqsa Flood restored Palestinian cause on the global stage: Hamas

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS