Lebanese Druze leaders denounce 'bloodshed' as Walid Joumblatt visits Syria

L'Orient-Le Jour

03-05-2025

The deadly clashes in Syria between Druze fighters and security forces — which have killed over 100, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights — continue to reverberate among the Druze community in Lebanon. MP Taymour Joumblatt denounced the violence as a 'bloodbath,' while Sheikh Akl Sami Abi al-Mona, the spiritual leader of the Druze in Lebanon, warned against rhetoric that could stoke division.
Former Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) leader Walid Joumblatt traveled to Syria on Friday and met with interim Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa, according to the National News Agency (NNA). On Wednesday, Joumblatt had called for the formation of a dialogue committee including all factions in a bid to find a political solution to the conflict.
NNA reported that Joumblatt left the Syrian presidential palace without making any statements.
In a post on his X account, Taymour Joumblatt — head of the Progressive Socialist Party and Walid's son — condemned what he called an 'unacceptable bloodbath' and stressed the need to 'put an end to all forms of violence and aggression,' urging a return to 'reason and wisdom.'
'Everyone is responsible for upholding the agreements that were made, and the state must ensure security and stability,' he added, saying that the rebuilding of Syria 'can only begin through dialogue, partnership, unity, and equality among the country's components.' Taymour Joumblatt also extended his condolences to the families of the victims — 'the martyrs of Jaramana and Jabal al-Arab,' two areas located in the western outskirts of Damascus and around 100 kilometers southwest of the Syrian capital.
On April 29, Druze leaders and Damascus had reached an agreement to bring to justice those behind the deadly assault on Jaramana.
The clashes come nearly five months after the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime and the takeover by Sharaa, leader of the jihadist group Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham, who led a coalition of rebel groups in ousting the former government.
Although the new regime initially pledged to protect minorities, clashes have broken out, particularly with Druze and Alawites, the sect to which the Assad family belongs and that ruled Syria for more than five decades. Those battles have resulted in hundreds of deaths. The violence involving Druze fighters has also prompted a response from Israel, which said it struck positions held by the new regime in Syria to 'defend' the Druze minority, which also exists within Israel.
Separately, Sheikh Abi al-Mona — who convened a meeting of Arab ambassadors attended by members of the Democratic Gathering parliamentary bloc, mainly composed of PSP MPs — condemned 'sectarian and inflammatory rhetoric.' He warned against language 'promoting exclusive nationalism and hostility toward other Islamic communities.'
The meeting was intended to clarify the Lebanese Druze community's stance on the events in Syria, convey its concerns, and highlight the need for those concerns to be addressed. Participants also discussed ways to prevent the tensions from spilling into Lebanon.
'What matters to the Lebanese government is the establishment of security and stability in Syria, as well as guaranteeing the safety of its people and fulfilling their hopes and aspirations,' said Prime Minister Nawaf Salam on Friday, affirming that 'Lebanon stands in solidarity with Syria in the face of Israeli aggression, and is deeply attached to the unity of its territory.'