Druze leaders disagree over existence of ceasefire with Syrian government

Witnesses reported that Syrian security forces, who were deployed to the area to keep peace, turned on the Druze population of As-Suwayda and participated in atrocities against them.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

Although the Syrian government and some Druze leaders announced a renewed ceasefire on Wednesday night, it is still unclear whether the entire Syrian Druze community has accepted the truce.

Prominent Druze leader, Sheikh Hikmat Al-Hijri, disavowed an attempted ceasefire on Tuesday.

Sheikh Yosef Jarboua, a Druze spiritual leader, announced that the Syrian regime and the Druze forces in the As-Suwayda province in southern Syria had reached a truce agreement.

The conflict began earlier in the week with kidnappings leading to violence between local Sunni Bedouin tribes and Druze armed factions.

Witnesses reported Syrian fighters, who were deployed to the area to keep peace, instead turning on the Druze population of As-Suwayda and participating in atrocities against them, such as forcing them to shave their mustaches.

As retaliation for assaults against the Druze population, Israel struck various targets in Syria, including As-Suwayda, as well as military buildings in Damascus on Wednesday.

Sheikh Jarboua stated on Wednesday night that a ceasefire had been reached and that regime forces would set up checkpoints to ensure security in the Druze areas.

Al-Hijri refused to recognize a previous ceasefire and declared, “There is no agreement. We call for continued resistance against the armed and criminal terrorist gangs, who came to massacre our people and destroy our existence,” he said.

He added: “The gangs must give up their weapons and surrender. Anyone who lays down their arms is under our protection – they will not be humiliated or harmed. We warn that any person or entity that refuses to comply with this united position and contacts or agrees with the other side unilaterally will bear legal and social responsibility, without exception and without forgiveness.”

An estimated 248 people have been killed in violent clashes so far this week marking the first time Syrian forces have entered the Druze area of As-Suwayda for the first time since the fall of the Assad regime.