The Druze put their cards on the table: "Israel was the first to help"
A New York Times investigation describes the growing dependence of the Druze in As-Suwayda on Israeli backing against Damascus. The local militia maintains constant contact with Israel, while the province prepares for the possibility of a renewed confrontation with the Syrian regime.
Israel's intervention in events beyond the northern border is now taking on a dramatic public dimension. According to a comprehensive report published in The New York Times, the Druze enclave in the As-Suwayda province in southern Syria is relying more and more on Israeli backing against attempts by the new Syrian government to take control. Last summer, after violent clashes in the province, the Israeli Air Force attacked targets of the Syrian Ministry of Defense and areas adjacent to the presidential palace in Damascus, as well as government forces in As-Suwayda. The Israeli demand was clear: demilitarization of the area and prevention of the entry of the Syrian army or its allies.
These moves are receiving open appreciation from the local Druze leadership:
"Israel stood by us and was the first to reach out to help," declared Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri, the spiritual leader of the Druze in As-Suwayda and the most prominent voice calling for full separation from the government of Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa, who ousted Bashar al-Assad in 2024.
In addition, the Druze National Guard, a militia numbering about 28,000 fighters, has constant contact with Israel, according to the organization's spokesman, Talal Amar.
As-Suwayda remains the only province in Syria that has not yet surrendered to the central government in Damascus. This comes after the government forcibly took over areas controlled by the Kurds in the northeast of the country earlier this year. The Druze community is watching with concern, especially after the events of last summer in which more than 1,700 people were killed, most of them Druze, in a wave of sectarian violence that began with land disputes with Bedouins and escalated with the intervention of government forces.
The New York Times correspondents, who visited the province in recent months, describe a grim reality of a fragile ceasefire. Snipers exchange fire across olive groves, and clashes frequently break out on the seam line between the National Guard and government forces. Residents and Druze officials accuse Damascus of exerting pressure through electricity and water cuts and the prevention of humanitarian aid. On the other hand, the provincial governor on behalf of the central government, Mustafa al-Bakour, denies the accusations, claims that the government pays salaries, and calls al-Hijri and his men a "gang with personal interests."
While Syrian President al-Sharaa accuses Israel of trying to sow "chaos" and harm the country's unity, in As-Suwayda they are preparing for the worst. For thousands of displaced Druze who lost their homes and property in the severe violence, a return to routine seems more distant than ever. The prevailing feeling in the isolated province is that the next big confrontation with the regime is only a matter of time.
