Syria's interim president strikes major deal with Druze community in Suwayda

The Syrian government, led by interim President Ahmed Al-Sharaa, has secured a significant agreement with the Druze community in the Suwayda region, located in the Jabal al-Druze area of southern Syria.

Under the terms of the deal, the predominantly Druze area will be fully integrated into the country’s state institutions, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

The agreement outlines that security forces in Suwayda will be incorporated into the Syrian Ministry of Interior, with local police personnel recruited from Druze-dominated areas. Furthermore, the new regime will assume control over the region, appointing both the governor and the chief of police as part of the accord.

In fact, Israel has expressed its readiness to defend Syria's Druze community amid escalating violence in Syria. Israeli government spokesperson David Mencer called the recent violence a "massacre of civilians" and stated that Israel would be prepared to protect the Druze if necessary.

The violence, which began last week between Syrian government fighters and those loyal to ousted president Bashar al-Assad, has led to widespread killings, including 973 civilian deaths, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Israel has a small Druze community and has allowed Syrian Druze to work in the Golan Heights, which it captured from Syria in 1967.

To recall, the Druze are an ethnic and religious minority group in Syria, primarily concentrated in the southwestern region of the country, particularly in the mountainous areas of the Druze-majority governorates of Suwayda and parts of Dara'a. The Druze follow a unique faith that is an offshoot of Isma'ili Shia Islam, incorporating elements of Gnosticism, Neoplatonism, and other philosophical traditions. 

Druze communities in Syria have historically maintained a degree of autonomy and have often been seen as a politically significant group due to their strategic position in the region. During the Syrian civil war, the Druze largely remained neutral, although some factions within the community aligned themselves with the former government, due to the protection offered by Assad's regime.

At the same time, there have been instances of Druze fighters joining opposition forces, depending on local circumstances.

By Aghakazim Guliyev