In Sweida, Druze Sheikh al-Hijri continues to impose a hard line against Damascus
He was already Syria's most influential Druze spiritual figure. His name is now associated with any discussion on relations between the Druze community and the central government in Damascus. Hikmat al-Hijri, 59, reaffirmed his political weight during recent clashes between Druze factions and government forces, which resulted in more than 100 deaths in Sweida and the Damascus suburbs of Jaramana and Sahnaya in one week. On May 1, the sheikh temporarily distanced himself from negotiations between the government and a delegation of Druze representatives aimed at finding an agreement to end the violence and secure Sweida province, a stronghold of the Druze minority, which constitutes 3 percent of Syria's population. A signal that the talks were not going in the direction he wanted.But the situation reversed on May 3. Hijri, on one...
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Nahar Net
21-05-2025
- Nahar Net
Rubio says Syria could be weeks away from 'full-scale civil war'
by Naharnet Newsdesk 21 May 2025, 12:10 U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned Tuesday that Syria could be weeks away from a fresh civil war of "epic proportions," as he called for support to the transitional leadership. The top American diplomat blamed a resurgence of the Islamic State extremist group in areas outside of the transitional government's control, as well as Iran. He told a U.S. Senate hearing that the government, "given the challenges they're facing, are maybe weeks -- not many months -- away from potential collapse and a full-scale civil war of epic proportions, basically the country splitting up." Rubio spoke after a series of bloody attacks on the Alawite and Druze minorities in Syria, where Islamist-led fighters in December toppled then-president Bashar al-Assad, capping a brutal civil war that began in 2011. U.S. President Donald Trump last week on a visit to Saudi Arabia announced a lifting of Assad-era sanctions and met with the guerrilla leader who is now Syria's transitional president, Ahmed al-Sharaa. Sharaa, clad in a suit and complimented by Trump as a "young, attractive guy," was until recently on a US wanted list over jihadist connections. Rubio quipped: "The transitional authority figures, they didn't pass their background check with the FBI." But he added: "If we engage them, it may work out, it may not work out. If we did not engage them, it was guaranteed to not work out." Rubio, who also met with Syria's foreign minister in Turkey on Thursday, said Iran was looking to work with remnants of the fallen ally Assad, a largely secular leader who hailed from the Alawite sect. Rubio acknowledged concerns about Syria's direction in Israel, which has kept pounding military sites in the neighboring country. But Rubio, who has spoken twice in recent days to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said a more stable Syria that did not serve as a "launchpad for attacks" would be an "extraordinary achievement for Israel's security." - EU ends sanctions - European Union countries, which had already suspended economic sanctions on Syria, gave the green light on Tuesday to lift all restrictions. "We want to help the Syrian people rebuild a new, inclusive and peaceful Syria," top EU diplomat Kaja Kallas wrote on X after the bloc's foreign ministers met in Brussels. EU diplomats said that move would unfreeze central bank assets and help reintegrate Syrian banks to the global system, although sanctions would remain on individuals over stirring ethnic tensions. Syria's foreign ministry hailed the EU decision, saying it marked "the beginning of a new chapter in Syrian-European relations built on shared prosperity and mutual respect." Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani, welcoming his Jordanian counterpart to Damascus, said at a joint news conference that "the doors are open" for investment in Syria with the lifting of sanctions. The United States had previously insisted on key steps from Syria's transitional authorities, including protection of minorities. Trump's move on Syria was encouraged by Turkey -- the main patron of the Islamist fighters who had battled Assad, an ally of Iran and Russia -- and Sunni regional power Saudi Arabia. "The nations in the region want to get aid in, want to start helping them, and they can't because they're afraid of our sanctions," Rubio said. Rubio has said Trump plans to waive the Caesar Act, which imposed sanctions for investment on Syria in an effort to ensure accountability regarding abuses under Assad. But such waivers would be temporary, and Syria remains classified by the U.S. as a state sponsor of terrorism, a major impediment to business dealings. Rubio, asked if the administration sought to delist Syria from its terrorism blacklist, replied: "Yes, if they meet the standard."
Ya Libnan
18-05-2025
- Ya Libnan
President Aoun distances himself from the spiritual leader of the Druze community in Israel
President Joseph Aoun is shown shaking hands with Sheikh Muwaffaq Tarif, the Spiritual leader off the Druze community in Israel The Media Office of President Joseph Aoun tried to distance the president from a photo that circulated by media outlets on Sunday, showing President Joseph Aoun, shaking hands with Sheikh Muwaffaq Tarif, the Spiritual leader off the Druze community in Israel The Media Office statement read, 'As President Aoun was heading to his seat this morning for the first papal mass of Pope Leo XIV, a Druze cleric participating in the mass shook his hand. The President of the Republic does not know him and has never met him before.' The statement continued: 'It was later revealed that he was Sheikh Muwaffaq Tarif, the Druze spiritual leader in Israel. The Israeli Broadcasting Authority deliberately distributed the photo with a caption that contradicted the truth.' The Media Office noted that such 'suspicious practices are typical of Israeli media outlets during similar international meetings, and they do not negate the truth of the official Lebanese position in general and President Aoun's position in particular.' The statement concluded by stating that 'there is no need to promote such lies and serve the Israeli enemy, so clarification is necessary.' Sheikh ( Aql) Muwaffaq Tarif, the top spiritual leader of the Druze community in present day Israel is one of the most outspoken clerics in defense of the Druze community both in Israel and Syria Sami Haddad , a Lebanese Political analyst told Ya Libnan. 'I don't know why all the fuss about a simple handshake , people like President Aoun do not have to know everyone that shakes their hand, unless he is trying to distance himself from the Druze spiritual leader for fear of being criticized by Hezbollah for shaking hands with someone from Israel' Sheikh Muwaffaq Tarif, known as Sheikh al Aql of the Druze community in Israel inherited the position from his grandfather Sheikh Amin Tarif in 1993 . The Tarif family is the most prominent within the Druze community and has been playing a key role in Palestine for hundreds of years even during Ottoman empire . Sheikh Tarif is a graduate of the Higher School for Druze Religious Studies in Khalwat al-Bayada , near Hasbayya Lebanon, the central sanctuary , and theological school of the the Druze community where all Druze Scholars converge during religious occasions . He also graduated from the Faculty of Law of the Ono Academic College , and was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Haifa in 2010. Part of the article was translated from Arabic ( El Nashra)
LBCI
18-05-2025
- LBCI
Lebanon's Presidency rejects ‘misleading' Israeli portrayal of President Aoun's Vatican encounter with Sheikh Muwafaq Tarif — statement
The media office of Lebanon's Presidency denied Sunday that President Joseph Aoun had any prior knowledge of or relationship with Sheikh Muwafaq Tarif, a Druze spiritual leader in Israel, after a photo showing the two shaking hands circulated via Israeli media. In a statement, the office clarified that while President Aoun was walking to his seat during Pope Leo XIV's inauguration mass at St. Peter's Square earlier in the day, a Druze cleric approached and greeted him. The president did not know the individual, nor had they met before. It was later revealed that the man was Sheikh Muwafaq Tarif. The statement accused the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation of deliberately sharing the image with a misleading caption for "suspicious purposes that fool no one." 'These types of manipulative tactics are well-known practices of Israeli media at international events,' the presidency added, stressing that such portrayals do not reflect Lebanon's official stance, nor that of President Aoun. 'There is no need to spread such falsehoods or serve the interests of the Israeli enemy,' the statement concluded.
