Druze Spiritual Leadership Welcomes Aid to Suwayda, Urges End to Violence

SANA

The aid convoy on their way to Suwayda.

As the ceasefire coms into effect after the escalating violence and a mounting humanitarian crisis in southern Syria, the Spiritual Leadership of the Druze community has issued a statement welcoming international aid to Suwayda and calling for an immediate end to the bloodshed, disinformation, and sectarian incitement tearing the province apart.

The Spiritual Leadership of the Druze community in Syria issued a statement on Sunday, 20 July 2025, expressing its appreciation for all humanitarian aid delivered to the stricken province of Suwayda, particularly that provided by international organisations and entities. The statement praised all sincere efforts aimed at saving lives and alleviating the suffering of the population amidst the province’s ongoing crisis.

The statement underscored the urgent need for “an immediate halt to the brutal attack on the governorate,” and called for an end to “media disinformation campaigns and the dissemination of malicious rumours intended to incite violence and hatred.”

The Spiritual Leadership reaffirmed that the Druze sect holds no religious or ethnic animosity towards any group, strongly condemning those who attempt to sow discord within the nation. “Shame and disgrace be upon those who try to poison the minds of young people with hatred,” the statement read.

The remarks follow an announcement by the Ministry of Health’s media office, which told the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) that Sheikh Hikmat al-Hajri, the supreme spiritual authority of the Druze community, had declined to receive the official government delegation that accompanied an aid convoy to Suwayda. While the aid itself was permitted to enter via the Syrian Arab Red Crescent, the accompanying delegation returned to Damascus.

Syria’s armed Bedouin clans announced on Sunday that they had withdrawn from the Druze-majority city of Suwayda after week-long clashes and a U.S.-brokered ceasefire.

The clashes between militias of the Druze religious minority and the Sunni Muslim clans killed hundreds and threatened to unravel Syria’s already fragile post-war transition. Israel also launched dozens of airstrikes in the Druze-majority Suwayda province, targeting government forces who had effectively sided with the Bedouins.

The clashes also led to a series of targeted sectarian attacks against the Druze community, followed by revenge attacks against the Bedouins. A series of tit-for-tat kidnappings sparked the clashes in various towns and villages in the province, which later spread to Suwayda city, the provincial capital.

Government forces were redeployed to halt renewed fighting that erupted on Thursday, before withdrawing again. Interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa, who has been perceived as more sympathetic to the Bedouins, had tried to appeal to the Druze community while remaining critical of the militias.

He later urged the Bedouins to leave the city, saying that they “cannot replace the role of the state in handling the country’s affairs and restoring security”.

“We thank the Bedouins for their heroic stances but demand they fully commit to the ceasefire and comply with the state’s orders,” he said in an address broadcast on Saturday.

The UN International Organisation for Migration said 128,571 people were displaced during the clashes, including 43,000 on Saturday alone.

Washington’s special envoy to Syria, Tom Barrack, said the clashes and atrocities “overshadowed” an initial cautious optimism about the country’s post-war transition and the international community’s lifting of sanctions.

“All factions must immediately lay down their arms, cease hostilities and abandon cycles of tribal vengeance,” Barrack said on X.

“Syria stands at a critical juncture — peace and dialogue must prevail — and prevail now.”

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported on Sunday that the death toll from ongoing violence in Suwayda has exceeded 1,000, according to the latest figures compiled since the outbreak of clashes in southern Syria.

Rami Abdulrahman, Director of the Observatory, stated: “The death toll since Sunday morning, 13 July, resulting from clashes, field executions, and Israeli bombardment, has reached 1,017.”

The Observatory called for the formation of an “independent and impartial United Nations investigation committee” to probe all violations committed since the beginning of the escalation, including the deliberate targeting of civilians and mass field executions. It stressed that “those responsible must be held accountable in accordance with international law and humanitarian standards.”

The organisation also warned against further polarisation within Syrian society, noting that the support provided to Arab tribes by the government — and their movement through official security checkpoints toward As-Suwayda — risks exacerbating tensions rather than containing the conflict and halting the bloodshed.


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