Israel vows to defend Syria's Druze after clashes on edge of Damascus
Israel has vowed to defend Syria's Druze community after deadly clashes over the weekend in Damascus involving members of the sect and the country's Hayat Tahrir Al Sham (HTS) rulers, adding to tension between minorities and the new authorities, and raising concerns about the possibility of more outside intervention in the country. At least three people have been killed since Saturday after forces loyal to HTS made incursions into the neighbourhood of Jaramana, near the road to Damascus airport, prompting the Druze to bring in reinforcements from the sect's heartland in the southern governorate of Suweida, residents said. Machine gun fire and the sound of rocket propelled grenades could be heard in the neighbourhood throughout Saturday as HTS forces surrounded the district, but could not seal it completely. A member of the inner circle of Sheikh Hikmat Al Hijri, the sect's spiritual leader in Syria, said the tension in Jaramana had abated on Sunday. "The situation has been contained," he said. He attributed the change to a visit by a Druze militia leader loyal to Mr Hijri, who arrived in Jaramana from Suweida and asked the community's armed members to reduce their presence in the streets. The Druze community, estimated to be around one million, are mainly present in Syria, Israel, Lebanon and Jordan. An Israeli Defence Ministry statement said that the Druze of Jaramana have come under attack. Large numbers of Druze live in the mixed neighbourhood of several hundreds of thousands of people. Syria's new leader Ahmed Al Shara, the leader of HTS, which led the toppling of the former dictator Bashar Al Assad on December 8, was linked to Al Qaeda before breaking off from the group and forming HTS. 'We will not allow the terrorist regime of radical Islam in Syria to harm the Druze. If the regime harms the Druze, it will be harmed by us,' the Israeli statement said. Mr Al Shara is aiming to consolidate control in outlying areas of the country. But he is facing resistance from leaders of the Druze and other religious and ethnic groups. Israel has also said it will not allow HTS to entrench itself in the south of Syria, which comprises Suweida and areas in the nearby governorates of Deraa and Quneitra. The two regions are adjacent to Israeli positions in the Golan Heights, where Israel has expanded a buffer zone in the last two months. Last week, Israel struck sites south of Damascus that formerly belonged to the Assad regime after HTS personnel moved in. Mr Al Shara has repeatedly signalled that no harm will come to members of the country's many minorities unless they were complicit in the crimes of the former regime, however tension has been rising between minorities and the new authorities. A statement by Druze clergy in Jaramana said that the Druze of Jaramana will always consider their "depth" to be Damascus, without directly addressing the Israeli pledge of support for the community. The statement said that "rogue" elements in Jaramana should face the force of the law, without naming them. Many see Sheikh Al Hijri as a protector of the Druze, by virtue of his religious stature and outside connections. He steered the community away from joining in the suppression of the peaceful 2011 revolt against Mr Al Assad as most young Druze dodged conscription. In August 2022, he supported a civil disobedience movement in Suweida that demanded the former leader's removal, which lasted until he was ousted in December. The anti-Assad movement in Suweida lasted so long because any attempt to violently suppress it was expected to be met with a response by Israel. Russia, whose influence has drastically waned in Syria, was also seen as not having favoured the use of mass violence against the Druze. The country remains fragmented, with Russia maintaining a coastal base near the Alawite Mountains, the core support region of the former regime. The US, which backs a Kurdish militia in the east, also has bases in the country. Mr Al Hijri has welcomed the removal of Mr Al Assad but has called for an inclusive civil administration to replace the former regime, implying that the new state must be secular. A European diplomat in Amman said the status of the Druze and other minorities was discussed during a brief meeting in Amman between King Abdullah and Mr Al Shara. The king condemned the Israeli attacks, and 'affirmed support for Syria's unity and sovereignty'.
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