The new freedom of the Druze in Syria, caught between Israel and Hts

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Suwayda, from our correspondent. The procession of sheikhs marches toward the home of Hikmat al-Hijri, the spiritual leader of the Druze in Syria, known locally as Abu Salman. In Qanawat, a village in the Suwayda countryside, people arrive from far and wide—from Idlib’s northern farmlands to southern villages. There is a celebratory atmosphere, and before gaining an audience, they chant in unison: “We sacrifice our blood and souls for you, O Abu Salman!”. At that moment, the Druze leader steps into the center of the gathered crowd and responds, “No, from now on, you will sacrifice your blood and souls for the country.”

The group moves into the hall reserved for audiences. Alongside village representatives are members of Suwayda's main militia, Faz’at Shabab al-Jabal, who express their gratitude for the chance to speak with Hijri directly. The spiritual leader begins the audience by addressing Syria’s historic moment. When he concludes, a representative from a nearby village recites a poem in his honor, another invites him to a commemoration for a martyr of the war against the regime, and others seek advice on critical decisions: whether to surrender their weapons to Damascus or maintain the Druze militias’ autonomy. Hijri’s response emphasizes the priority of defending the people of Suwayda, with the implicit message that the southern militias will not integrate into a national army—at least for now.

“For decades, Syria endured the colonial period until it placed its fate in the hands of a single ruler, first under Hafez and then under Bashar al-Assad. Now, through great effort and sacrifice, the people have managed to free themselves from this tyrant,” Hijri explains to Il Foglio at the end of the audience, speaking from a private room. “We Druze have suffered the regime’s brutality, just like everyone else. We were stripped of all freedoms.”

While the initial momentum to depose Assad began in the north, it was the southern provinces of Suwayda and Daraa that delivered the final blow. In these regions, militias formed a “joint command center” parallel to the one led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (Hts).

Ashraf Jamul, the commander of Faz’at Shabab al-Jabal, told Il Foglio that preparations for the offensive had been underway for a year and a half. “When Hts launched its attack, we began coordinating with them and took action,” he explained.

After the liberation from dictatorship, the Israeli army began advancing toward Syrian territories overlooking the Golan, about 100 kilometers west of Suwayda. Concerned about the volatile security situation following Assad's fall, Israel decided to expand the buffer zone separating the occupied Golan from Syria. Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) entered several villages, many with Druze majorities, disarmed residents, and then began withdrawing.

The Druze population, spread across Syria, Lebanon, and Israel, is heavily concentrated in southern Syria, between the provinces of Daraa and Suwayda, where they comprise 90 percent of the population. Christians make up the remaining 10 percent. At the start of the Syrian revolution, Israel supported southern rebels with humanitarian aid and military intelligence. Since 2020, opposition protests in Suwayda have been the most intense and persistent in the country. Now, with Assad removed, Israel has begun courting Druze communities in southern Syria, viewing them as a stabilizing factor in the region.

In November, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar referred to the Kurds and Druze as Israel’s “natural allies.” Meanwhile, in the village of Hader, near Quneitra, an imam publicly declared that living under Israeli rule would be preferable to falling under the control of Hts Islamists, who ousted the regime.

Ahmad Sharaa, the head of the transitional government, has launched a significant diplomatic effort to counter Israel's influence over the Druze. A week ago, Walid Jumblatt, the political leader of Lebanon’s Druze community, was warmly received by Sharaa in Damascus. This highly symbolic summit marked the first high-level meeting of its kind between Syria and a Lebanese leader in over half a century. Despite the strong rapport displayed, convincing the Druze in southern Syria to lay down their arms and join a unified Syrian army alongside Hts remains a distant goal for Sharaa.

Commander Jamul emphasizes his desire for peace and refrains from openly condemning the Israeli offensive. While proudly showcasing the former Assad regime headquarters in Suwayda, which his forces captured, he asserts that for the Druze, "war and violence are haram (sinful) unless it is for self-defense." This message appears more directed at Hts than at Israel.

About ten days ago, in a conversation cited by researcher Aymenn Jawad al-Tamimi, Jamul was even more explicit: “We have many relatives in the Golan. They live with dignity, and Israel is not a regime that oppresses them.”

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• Luca Gambardella

• Sono nato a Latina nel 1985. Sangue siciliano. Per dimenticare Littoria sono fuggito a Venezia per giocare a fare il marinaio alla scuola militare "Morosini". Laurea in Scienze internazionali e diplomatiche a Gorizia. Ho vissuto a Damasco per studiare arabo. Nel 2012 sono andato in Egitto e ho iniziato a scrivere di Medio Oriente e immigrazione come freelance. Dal 2014 lavoro al Foglio.