Illustrative image.
A power struggle emerged in al-Suwayda over the past week, with the National Guard arresting dozens, including a prominent Druze Sheikh, over an alleged plot by the Islamist-led government to take over the southern Syrian governorate.
The National Guard was formed by Druze armed factions under the direction of the community spiritual leader in Syria, Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri, in August, little over a month after the end of a deadly attack by government forces and allied Bedouin fighters on al-Suwayda.
The battle in July claimed the lives of over 3,000 people, third of whom were Druze civilians. Hundreds others were reportedly abducted. Israel intervened at the time to protect the Druze, citing historic ties with its own Druze community. The battle ended with a United States-brokered ceasefire.
More than 30 Druze towns in the northern and western countryside of al-Suwayda are still held by government forces, which continue to impose a partial blockade on the governorate.
Tensions remained high in al-Suwayda since the battle, and in recent weeks clashes between the National Guard and government forces became more frequent.
In a surprise turn of events, the escalation moved to the areas held by Druze on November 29, with the National Guard carrying out a security operation and arresting at least five people. All five were Druze. One of those detained was Sheikh Raed al-Mutni.
Sheikh Raed al-Mutni, click to see full-size image. (X)
A video showing al-Mutni being insulted and beaten up by guardsmen during his arrest surfaced online at the time, causing outrage in the governorate.
Addressing the situation later on the same day, the National Guard said that it had foiled a plot by the government and “certain foreign parties” to take over al-Suwayda.
“In a dangerous development that threatens the security of the [Druze] mountain and the dignity of its people, the National Guard forces obtained confirmed and reliable information revealing a despicable conspiracy and high treason. A group of traitors and agents, who sold their consciences and compromised their honor, were involved, in coordination with the terrorist regime in Damascus and certain foreign parties. Their aim was to carry out a serious internal security breach, paving the way for a barbaric attack targeting our women, children, and sacred land, all for a handful of money tainted with treachery,” the National said in a statement.
“This conspiracy is not merely a breach; it is a treacherous stab in the back of the mountain and a vile attempt to undermine the resilience of its people and their free will. But the men of the National Guard, who have dedicated themselves to defending the land and honor, were vigilant,” the Druze coalition continued.
“The entire conspiracy was uncovered, and those involved and suspected were identified. Our forces deployed specialized units and carried out a precise, swift, and decisive operation, resulting in the arrest of the traitors and conspirators and their handover to the competent judicial authorities,” it added.
The situation didn’t end there, however. On December 2, al-Mutni and another one of the detainees, Maher Falhout, died while in the custody of the National Guard, with conflicting reports contributing their fate to suicide, torture or execution.
Later on the same day, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a London-based monitoring group, reported the arrest of “dozens” others in al-Suwayda.
It also became known that Al-Suwayda 24, the leading local news blog that had a view point supportive of the National Guard and al-Hijri, was taken over by one of the team members who is supportive of Damascus. All activists and journalists based in al-Suwayda were expelled.
In separate posts on X, Maher Sharaf al-Din, a prominent Syrian Druze poet and writer based in al-Suwaday and thought to be close to al-Hijri, provided more details on the alleged government plot.
“Only a few hours (and I say hours) separated the start of the coup in Suwaida (prepared to turn into a Druze-Druze conflict that would legitimize the intervention of the Sharia government under the pretext of “resolving the conflict”) and the swift movement of the #National_Guard to arrest the conspirators, who were unfortunately numerous!” Sharaf al-Din said in one post.
In another post he stated that “the Suwaida 24 page is now in the hands of Qatar and the [President Ahmad] Sharaa government,” speculating in a third post that the take over of the news blog was “an essential part of the coup attempt that was thwarted by the people of the mountain.”
Interestingly, the plot detailed by Sharaf al-Din mimics that used by the government to start its attack on al-Suwayda in July. At the time, Damascus said that it sent its forces to al-Suwaday to resolve a conflict between Druze factions and local Bedouins. However, government forces and the Bedouins quickly joined forces and began attacking the Druze together.
Laith al-Balous, a young Druze Sheikh opposed to al-Hijri, and Sulaiman Abdul Baqi, another young Druze Sheikh who now serves as a security officer in the Syrian Ministry of Interior, both were reportedly involved in the July plot, and were both accused of being a part of the more recent plot. The two reside in government areas.
Sharaf al-Din’s accusations against Qatar, a key backer of the Syrian government, were repeated by other activists from al-Suwayda, who accused the intelligence services of another ally of Damascus, Turkey, of also being involved in the alleged plot.
Syrian state media used the death of al-Mutni to escalate its campaign against the National Guard and al-Hijri, with al-Balous and Abdul Baqi making multiple appearances on pro-government channels to call for bringing al-Suwayda back under government control.
In addition, the intensity of clashes across the main frontline in al-Suwaday increased over the night of December 2 and 3.
Since the U.S.-brokered ceasefire came into effect in al-Suwayda in July, the government has not engaged in any serious talks with al-Hijri, who has repeatedly called for the right of self-determination for Druze in al-Suwayada and maintained contact with Israel.
Neither side appears to be interested in a settlement, but while al-Hijri has shown no willingness to escalate from his part, the government appears to be working to find ways in order to retake the governorate militarily without making any compromises.
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the leaders arent democratic really .usually they’re being pampered and convinced of the virtue of their struggle for their beliefs . well reassured and comforted .down the ranks unto the “infantry” levels of operation not so pampered but well convinced .