Druze leader reaffirms support for Syrian state, rejects foreign interference

Laith al-Balous, head of the influential Druze movement “Rijal al Karama” in Syria’s southern Suwayda province, reaffirmed his support for the current Syrian government and criticised calls for international intervention or Israeli involvement in the region.

Speaking to Al Jazeera Arabic, al-Balous emphasised that his movement’s position has remained consistent since the outset of the Syrian revolution and “until the fall of the Assad regime,” adding that they have not and will not deviate from it, Caliber.Az reports.

“There are certain leaders who are taking the sect in a different direction,” al-Balous said, “but we, the people of Suwayda province, reject and do not accept this path.” He held those leaders responsible for the bloodshed in the region and urged the Syrian state to uphold its responsibility to protect innocent civilians.

Addressing the ongoing tensions and the stalled efforts to reach a resolution in Suwayda, al-Balous commented that the army and security forces “should not have entered the governorate,” but argued that “the intransigence of the other side led to these incursions.”

Fierce clashes erupted between Druze militias and Sunni Bedouin groups near As-Suwayda from July 11 to 13, sparked by the abduction of a Druze trader. Syrian government forces intervened, but their presence intensified violence, resulting in civilian deaths and alleged abuses against Druze residents.

A ceasefire was announced around July 15–16 following talks between the Interior Ministry and Druze leaders, prompting a partial government withdrawal. However, some Druze figures rejected the truce, and sporadic fighting has continued.

On July 15–16, Israel launched airstrikes on sites near Suwayda and Damascus, targeting military convoys and key government buildings. Tel Aviv said the strikes aimed to protect the Druze and block Islamist expansion near the Golan Heights.

By Aghakazim Guliyev