Druze leader tortured to death in Syria’s As-Suwayda PHOTO

Forces loyal to Hikmat al-Hijri, a leading figure in the Druze community, have reportedly killed Sheikh Maher Falhout in Syria's As-Suwayda province.

Sheikh Falhout was abducted in As-Suwayda by militants from the so-called “National Guard,” which is under al-Hijri’s control, and was killed two days later, Caliber.Az reports via Syrian media.

The killing comes shortly after another respected Druze elder in As-Suwayda, Sheikh Raid al-Metni, died following torture at the hands of the same National Guard faction.

Laith al-Balous, leader of the “Assembly of Worthy People” (Rijal al-Karama) movement, said that al-Hijri’s forces are openly collaborating with remnants of Bashar al-Assad’s toppled regime.

“The way Sheikh Raid al-Metni was murdered was utterly reprehensible and entirely alien to our community — this is behaviour brought in from outside,” al-Belous said.

He added that Druze religious leaders have repeatedly affirmed their loyalty to the Syrian state, accusing al-Hijri of exploiting the situation in As-Suwayda to falsely brand these authorities as traitors.

By Aghakazim Guliyev