Al-Suwayda

And we have seen what the former ISIS is capable of doing if they decide to move against the Druze or if there is no one to protect the Druze.

The following day after the massacre in Suwaida, the following day, The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia sent 47 representatives to discuss the future of Syria and how Saudi Arabia was going to support Syria.

They were celebrating what happened to the Druze in Suwaida.

So no one is there to protect the Druze except Israel.

Thank God for Israel.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated on Thursday that he believes a telephone call he made to Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa in July twenty twenty-five helped to halt deadly clashes in southern Syria.

The violence occurred in the predominantly Druze Suwayda Governorate and involved clashes between Druze and Bedouin groups, with Syrian government forces also involved.

Israel conducted airstrikes against Syrian military positions, stating it was acting to protect the Druze community.

Damascus has neither confirmed nor denied the conversation, with a Syrian government source quoted by SANA rejecting attempts to involve Syria's Druze community in Israeli election campaigning and accusing Israel of interfering in the violence.

It's, as I said, a very, very nebulous situation, um, and very hard to sort of draw any sweeping definitive conclusions about, uh, the trajectory.

But I guess we should stick to the, you know, positive agenda narrative of the sides and say that overall, you know, things could have been a lot worse, let's say, considering what happened on the coast, considering what happened in Suwayda.

Um, to be continued.

Thank you so much for joining us here today, Alex.

You can have one tribe that seems like it's a, on one side, right? Uh, let's say the US side, but will have clans that deal with the other side as well, so that they always have a pragmatic outcome to the, to, to the, um, situation, uh, if they need it.

Uh, in, in the case of minorities, um, the situation in Suwayda concerning the Druze continues to fester, and that's because the community there, um, and many of its leadership, uh, do not want to, uh, integrate, uh, their forces, the National Guard, uh, under a Syrian mo- Ministry of Defense, uh, even under Ministry of Interior.

They don't trust it, uh, especially following the clashes in the summer, uh, of 2025, and that's, uh, led to an Israeli intervention.

Um, and Israel does, um, protect those, that area of Syria.

But what I'm saying is, I think it's important to note that with the new majoritarian Sunni government in Syria, uh, it's going to have to come to some sort of arrangement of representation, uh, and involvement with minorities in Syria, or they're going to risk further destabilization.

The good thing is, until now, f- during my recent trip, I found with meeting with a number of, uh, of particularly of Christians a- and other minorities in the country, uh, they are taking a pragmatic route.

But as we know, ad hoc measures don't oftentimes hold, right? Um, uh, in- instead, I think minorities are looking for more solid guarantees, and we just don't have that yet, and we certainly don't have it in, in terms of Suwayda in the, in the southwest.

All right.

Yes.

These are people who live in Suwayda, which is part of Syria.

Right.

And they are Muslim.

A few months later, Druze areas became the focal point of violence under the gaze of the new administration.

Outside the main hospital in Suwayda City, the body bags look to be clear evidence of a mass killing.

Rotting in the baking sun for almost a week, the morgue though is full.

The government went there to take control of the province, and then the government troops retreated, and then they allowed the Sunni tribes to attack.

It has ups and downs, but it's, uh, a positive, uh, uh, development.

Uh, unfortunately, we also had, uh, uh, episode of, uh, violence, uh, uh, along the coast with the Alawi community and, uh, in, uh, with the Druze community in Suwayda.

The government has taken measures, for example, by ensuring that, uh, there is accountability for the crimes that were committed.

And, um, uh, and it's now taking some initiatives to, uh, make sure that, uh, all communities feel part of Syria.

Uh, the problem with the, the Suwayda situation is that, uh, it is perhaps the one part of, uh, Syria where the government does not have full control.

Um, you have a Druze leader who wants to pledge allegiance to Israel, uh, whereas, uh, the solution of any part of Syria is within a unified, uh, Syria.

Of course, there are legitimate grievances by the Druze community, by the Bedouins, by others, and those ought to be, uh, addressed, including through the constitution.

We, as United Nations, will be happy to provide experiences from other parts to the extent that it would be useful.

Alatrache's forces suffered losses as well, But this early success brought men flocking to his ranks.

By the end of July, his troops had the main Druze town of Suwaida under siege, when the French dispatched a column of 3,000 men under General Roche-Michaud to relieve it.

That column, too, was cut to pieces.

Overnight, Damascus knew of Al-Atrash's victory.

Yes.

This year is the first anniversary of the massacres that targeted the minority communities in Suwayda.

And I always affirm that I'm with the victims.

Basilius, I know this is also in the back of your mind-

No, very appreciated-

Thank you

... uh, because, uh, I grew up in Suwayda.

Um, so on March, uh, 2025, and also, uh, on July 2025, so basically a few month apart, some forces affiliated with the current government, including, uh, individual private citizens, militias, um, committed mass atrocities and sectarian crimes against Alawite, killing at least 1,400, uh, documented cases.