ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The spiritual leader of Syria’s Druze community, Hikmat al-Hijri, has called on international actors to “intervene and stop” violence against Druze civilians in southern Suwayda province, saying attacks have continued despite a declared ceasefire. He also reiterated support for Syria’s Kurdish, Alawite, and Christian minorities.
“Shelling still strikes our people's homes every night, and we are under siege from all sides and in all fields,” Hijri said in a video message published to Facebook on Thursday, adding, “We demand that international bodies intervene and stop all these violations and attacks.”
Violence has persisted in parts of Syria following the ouster of Bashar al-Assad’s regime by the now-dissolved jihadist group Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). The group's then-leader, Ahmad al-Sharaa, now serves as interim president.
In mid-July, deadly clashes erupted between Druze fighters and Sunni Bedouin tribes in Suwayda province, escalating with the involvement of Syrian government forces before a ceasefire was reached on July 19. The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that nearly 2,000 people were killed, including around 765 Druze civilians, many of whom were executed by defense and interior ministry forces. Sporadic clashes have since continued between Druze forces and Damascus-affiliated units.
Hijri accused the new authorities of perpetuating violence under a different guise, saying the Assad regime “was replaced by a system of politicized factions with takfiri [one who labels fellow Muslims infidels] gangs mixed with [Islamic State] ISIS members and foreigners.”
He added that “throughout that transitional period, we felt no difference between the calamities of the tyrant's [Assad] regime and the calamities of the massacres of the new gang regime except in names and forms.”
The interim government has faced growing criticism over its governing approach. In March, Sharaa signed a constitutional declaration emphasizing Islamic jurisprudence, prompting backlash from Syria’s Alawite, Christian, Druze, and Kurdish communities, who viewed it as exclusionary. Sharaa’s highly centralized style of governance has also drawn condemnation.
“Our men rose in defense of land, honor, and existence. We defeated the genocide campaign and announced our demand for independence to preserve our existence and dignity,” Hijri said.
Following the July clashes, Druze factions announced the formation of a National Guard in late August, a unified local paramilitary force bringing together more than 30 armed groups under Hijri’s authority. Hijri has emerged as a prominent critic of Damascus and an advocate for Druze self-determination.
“We confirm our full support for the rights of our Kurdish brothers,” he said.
Meanwhile, relations between Damascus and the Kurdish-administered northeast Syria (Rojava) remain tense, with both sides trading accusations of targeting each other’s positions.
This is despite a landmark agreement signed between Mazloum Abdi, commander of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), and Sharaa to integrate Rojava’s civil and military institutions into those of Damascus.
In early December, Abdi renewed calls for a “comprehensive dialogue” to establish a “democratic, decentralized” Syria.
Kurdish leaders seek decentralization and want the SDF integrated as a unified bloc, while Damascus favors absorbing Kurdish fighters individually into regular army units and maintaining a centralized system.
Hijri also condemned sectarian violence elsewhere in the country, saying, “We condemn what happened in terms of sectarian attacks and massacres against our Alawite and Christian brothers in Homs and the coast.”
In March, fighting in Alawite-majority coastal regions broke out after Assad loyalists attacked forces aligned with the interim leadership, leaving about 1,700 people dead - mostly Alawite civilians - with many casualties attributed to pro-government forces.
“We support and bless our brothers in the Syrian coast for their awakening and rejection of injustice in their areas,” Hijri said.