Al-Sharaa declares protection of Druze a national priority for Syria
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Syria's al-Sharaa says authorities are working with Druze leaders to factions to restore order in Sweida.
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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.”
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
