Syrian Druze spiritual leader Hikmat Al Hijri has called for the creation of a separate homeland for the minority sect, more than a month after clashes between Druze and Bedouin armed groups in the southern province of Sweida.
Mr Al Hijri said “all free countries and people must stand with us as the Druze sect in southern Syria, to announce a separate region to protect us”. His remarks were made during a meeting with supporters at his headquarters in Qanawat, southern Syria, on Monday, according to widely circulated video footage.
“Our path begins under a new banner after the recent ordeal that aimed to exterminate the Druze community in Syria,” Mr Al Hijri said. He did not elaborate on how the Druze could separate from Syria, given wide Arab support for the government and opposition to its separation.
It is the first time that a major Druze figure has made such a call since Sweida was a separate entity under the French mandate in the 1920s, in defiance of the new central authorities dominated by Hayat Tahrir Al Sham (HTS). The group, which splintered from Al Qaeda around a decade ago, deposed former president Bashar Al Assad in December.
There was no immediate reaction from Damascus. However, Saudi Arabia, a major supporter of the current Syrian leader Ahmad Al Shara, said it “categorically rejects any separatist calls that [would] divide Syria”. An official statement said “all components of the Syrian people must co-operate to continue building the new Syrian state."
Saudi Arabia and Qatar also condemned a new Israeli attack on the Damascus countryside, which Syria said involved 60 troops and 11 military vehicles. Syria TV said one man was killed in a bombing on his home.
The Druze of Sweida, who number several hundred thousands, coalesced around Mr Al Hijri after an offensive to impose central control over Sweida city. Israel intervened with airstrikes, claiming to be supporting the Druze. The community is also present in Israel and Israeli Druze make up a sizeable portion of the army.
Experts have said Israel is using the Druze in Syria as a pretext to weaken the government there. Israel also occupies the Golan Heights and has expansionist ambitions.
The city remains surrounded by government forces and auxiliaries, restricting supplies and separating the Druze of Sweida from the rest of Syria, particularly Damascus. A sizeable Druze community lives on the city's outskirts.
Government forces and allied militia initially overcame Druze armed resistance when they swept into Sweida last month. However, they retreated to the northern and western edges of the city after coming under Israeli air strikes. A Syrian army division is stationed to the east of Sweida. The province borders Jordan in the south.
The demands of the Druze echo similar calls for federalism by other minority groups in Syria, such as the Kurds and Alawites, who dominated power in Syria for six decades until the fall of the Assad regime.
Mr Al Hijri has angered Damascus by demanding a civil constitution and describing the authorities as extremists. He also demanded that security troops in Sweida be drawn from the local communities.
