Syria’s Al-Sharaa rejects "bloodshed" in national unification, blames Israel

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa has said the battle to unify his country after years of civil war “should not be with blood,” rejecting any partition and accusing Israel of interfering in the south.

His remarks coincided with protests in the southern province of Sweida, where hundreds demonstrated against sectarian violence last month and called for the right to self-determination for the Druze-majority region, Caliber.Az writes via Saudi media.

“We still have another battle ahead of us to unify Syria, and it should not be with blood and military force... it should be through some kind of understanding because Syria is tired of war,” al-Sharaa said during a dialogue session involving notables from Idlib province and other senior officials.

“I do not see Syria as at risk of division. Some people desire a process of dividing Syria and trying to establish cantons... this matter is impossible,” he added.

“Some parties seek to gain power through regional power, Israel or others. This is also extremely difficult and cannot be implemented,” al-Sharaa said.

At the Sweida protest, some demonstrators waved Israeli flags and called for self-determination for the region.

A week of violence in Sweida began on July 13 with clashes between Druze fighters and Sunni Bedouin, escalating to involve government forces, while Israel conducted strikes.

Al-Sharaa said Sweida “witnessed many violations from all sides... some members of the security forces and army in Syria also carried out some violations.” He emphasized that the state is required “to hold all perpetrators of violations to account,” regardless of affiliation.

“Israel is intervening directly in Sweida, seeking to implement policies aimed at weakening the state in general or finding excuses to interfere in ongoing policies in the southern region,” he added.

Israel, which has its own Druze community, has said its actions aim to protect the minority group and enforce demands for the demilitarisation of southern Syria.

Meanwhile, Syria’s new authorities are negotiating with a semi-autonomous Kurdish administration in the north and northeast, which has called for decentralisation. Damascus has rejected these calls, and the implementation of a March 10 deal to integrate Kurdish civil and military institutions into the state has been delayed.

“We are now discussing the mechanisms for implementation” of the deal, al-Sharaa said.

By Khagan Isayev