The Syrian president Ahmed Al Sharaa has said that protecting Druze is a top priority for the interim government. Al Sharaa was responding for the first time to the Israeli bombings of Damascus, which were a response to violence against Syrian Druze.
With his television speech, Al Sharaa wants to allay concerns about the safety of Druze in southern Syria. “We affirm that protecting your rights and freedoms is one of our top priorities,” the president said to the Druze.
In the city of Suwayda, a deadly conflict arose on Sunday between Druze and Sunni Bedouins, nomads who live in desert areas of Syria. More than 350 people were killed.
Syria sent the government army to Suwayda to calm tempers. But the government troops clashed with Druze militias. Because of that battle, Israel, a historical ally of the Druze, bombed several government buildings in the Syrian capital Damascus on Wednesday.
Al Sharaa also referred in his speech to the bombings of Israel, which he finds undesirable. “We reject any attempt to sow discord within our ranks, from home and abroad.” According to the Syrian president, Israel is trying to break the unity of the country with the attacks on Damascus. In several places in Damascus, Syrians took to the streets on Wednesday to protest against the Israeli attack.
Ceasefire in Suwayda
Since Wednesday evening, the fighting in Suwayda seems to be coming to an end. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio reported Wednesday evening that agreements had been made between the warring parties. And Al Sharaa’s television speech also seems like a step to ease tensions.
The Syrian government had also announced a ceasefire on Wednesday. The government also withdrew the army from Suwayda. “We give local groups and Druze spiritual leaders the responsibility to protect the safety in Suwayda,” Al Sharaa said in his speech. “We see the seriousness of the situation and must prevent the country from being drawn into a new war.”
It is already the second time this week that a ceasefire has been announced. The first, on Tuesday, had little success: the fighting continued as normal on Wednesday. The ceasefire of Wednesday evening seems to be holding for the time being.
Al Sharaa also had a clear message to Israel in his speech after the large bombings on Wednesday. He said that the Syrian people are “not afraid of war” and are “ready to fight if their dignity is threatened.”
Why are Druze and Bedouins fighting?
There have been tensions between Druze and Bedouins for some time. It concerns, among other things, access to water and other resources in the region.
Since the fall of the regime of President Bashar Al Assad in December, the militias of both groups have had free rein. There was no longer a government army to keep an eye on things. Since then, tensions have risen.