Despite ceasefire: Druze leader rejects Syrian deployment in Suwayda
Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri, the spiritual leader of Syria's Druze community, accused the Syrian government on Tuesday of forcing a statement following days of deadly clashes in Suwayda province between Druze and Bedouin groups.
Sheikh al-Hijri said that the Druze leadership had been coerced—under pressure from Damascus and unnamed foreign powers—into issuing a "humiliating" statement that welcomed the deployment of government forces which he accepted in hopes of protecting civilians. 'Despite accepting this disgraceful statement for the sake of our people's safety, they broke their promise,' he declared, accusing government forces of continuing 'indiscriminate shelling against civilians.'
'We are facing a campaign of total extermination,' al-Hijri warned, calling on all Syrians to reject humiliation and resist the assault by all possible means.
The Druze leader's remarks came as the Syrian Ministry of Defense announced a full ceasefire in Suwayda city, instructing units to halt fire unless directly attacked. Defense Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra confirmed that the ceasefire was coordinated with local elders, though units would still respond to 'outlaw groups.' The deployment, however, was met with suspicion and anger among segments of the local population, particularly after fresh violence erupted just hours following the ceasefire announcement.
Violence first flared on Sunday following a reported robbery along the Damascus highway. While accounts vary, one version claims that a Druze merchant returning from Damascus was assaulted and robbed by armed men who hurled sectarian insults before abandoning him in a remote area. Another version alleges that a Druze man was kidnapped, prompting a retaliatory operation by forces loyal to Sheikh al-Hijri, who reportedly abducted 10 individuals from Bedouin tribes.
The situation escalated on Monday morning when Bedouin armed groups—allegedly supported by units from Syria's Defense and Interior Ministries—launched an attack from eastern Daraa, targeting several villages in Suwayda's western countryside.
According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, at least 116 people have been killed in the violence, including 64 Suwayda residents and 52 Bedouin tribesmen, government soldiers, and unidentified fighters in military uniforms. Dozens of others, including children, were wounded—some critically.
The Syrian Ministry of Defense confirmed that six government soldiers were killed during the clashes, alongside at least 30 fighters from both sides and over 100 injured individuals.
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