Druze leader Hikmat al-Hijri has announced that he is withdrawing his support for the entry of security forces affiliated with the HTS administration into Suwayda, Syria.

According to a report in Al-Akhbar, the religious leader of the Druze, Hikmat al-Hijri, stated in a video message that numerous previous negotiations with the Damascus government had failed. He said that a prior declaration, issued on the grounds of “protecting the city without bloodshed,” was imposed on them by Damascus and through “external pressures.”

Al-Hijri stated, “The government did not fulfill its promises and commitments. It continued to bomb civilians, the defenseless population. Despite our acceptance of this humiliating declaration, the attacks continued.”

In his statement, al-Hijri emphasized that today is a turning point for the Syrian people, saying, “Today, we will either reject humiliation or consent to years of disgrace.” Al-Hijri continued, “We are being subjected to a total war of genocide. The time has come for everyone who says they are ‘angry in the name of religion’ to take an honorable stand. This moment will go down in history.”

Sheikh al-Hijri called on the people of Suwayda to stand against the armed groups that did not honor their promises and continued to bomb civilian settlements despite the agreement.

Ceasefire declared, but clashes continue

Shortly after Druze leader al-Hijri’s statement, Syrian Defense Minister Marhaf Abu Qasra announced a full ceasefire in Suwayda following an agreement with the city’s notables.

In a post on X, Minister Abu Qasra stated, “We address all units operating in the city of Suwayda: A full ceasefire has been declared in accordance with the agreement reached with the city’s notables. However, any fire opened within the city will be returned.”

The spiritual authority of the Druze in Syria had previously announced that it welcomed the entry of forces from the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Defense into Suwayda. The statement indicated a belief in the necessity for state institutions to take control to prevent bloodshed and ensure security in the city.

The same statement called on all armed groups in Suwayda to cooperate with the Ministry of Interior’s forces, not to show resistance, and to hand over their weapons to the competent authorities.

Following these calls, the Syrian Ministry of Defense announced that army units had entered Suwayda. However, during this process, the bombing of civilian neighborhoods in the city continued, and a ceasefire could not be effectively established.

Meanwhile, the Israeli Air Force reportedly carried out new airstrikes on the Suwayda region. According to reports in Syrian media, the attacks occurred as government forces were entering the city.

It is also reported that urgent meetings have been held since this morning between Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Israel Katz, and Chief of General Staff Eyal Zamir. According to the Israeli press, the Israeli administration assesses that “the Druze are under a real threat.”

What happened in Suwayda?

The events in Syria’s southern Suwayda province began a few days ago with a robbery on the Damascus-Suwayda highway. Following this incident, clashes erupted between Bedouin tribes living around the province and Druze armed groups.

In recent days, the intense clashes have reached the entrances of Suwayda city. It was also reported that some uncontrolled armed groups entered the region to support the Bedouin tribes.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights announced that government forces began advancing into Suwayda in the last few hours and that clashes were occurring at the city entrances. According to the statement, civilian neighborhoods in the city have been targeted with heavy artillery and missile fire since midnight on Monday.

The Observatory reported that the entry of army units was accompanied by mortar and rocket attacks, with the targets being civilian settlements directly.

Death toll rises

The number of people killed in Suwayda has risen to 102 due to the armed clashes and mutual bombardments that have been ongoing since Sunday morning.

According to Al-Akhbar, of the deceased, 61 are residents of Suwayda (including 2 children and 2 women), 18 are Bedouins from Suwayda, 16 are personnel from the HTS-affiliated Ministry of Defense, and 7 are unidentified individuals wearing military uniforms. Additionally, many people, including children, have been hospitalized with serious injuries.

While all eyes are on the expected meeting between Syria’s transitional leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during the United Nations General Assembly in September, rapprochement efforts between the new administration in Damascus and Tel Aviv are proceeding on multiple parallel tracks.

The US decision to remove al-Sharaa from its terror list, paving the way for his participation in the UN meetings, has been a significant development accelerating this process.

In this context, Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, hosted a meeting attended by Syrian and Israeli delegations.

Israel’s i24NEWS channel claimed that al-Sharaa also participated in this meeting, an assertion denied by Syrian sources.

The meeting was coordinated to coincide with the Syrian transitional leader’s visit to Baku, during which he signed various agreements with Azerbaijan, primarily in the energy sector.

At least three meetings held in Baku

The Israeli channel, citing a source it described as close to al-Sharaa, reported that at least three meetings were held in Baku.

These meetings were reportedly attended by Syrian Foreign Minister Asad al-Shaibani and the Syrian government’s security meetings coordinator, Ahmed al-Dalati, as well as a special representative of the Israeli Prime Minister and a delegation of senior security and military officials.

The report noted that in light of rising tensions between Tehran and Damascus in recent weeks, the choice of Azerbaijan for the negotiations “carries a political message to Iran.”

It was noted that a possible security agreement between Syria and Israel was discussed at the meetings. Also on the table were Iran’s presence in Syria and Lebanon, Hezbollah’s weapons, Palestinian organizations, camps in Lebanon, the future of Palestinian refugees from Gaza, and the possibility of opening a non-diplomatic Israeli coordination office in Damascus.

This development was also confirmed by Israel’s Haaretz newspaper. The paper wrote that the meeting was part of a series of talks involving senior security figures from both sides.

This process is expected to culminate in a new summit announced by Israel’s Kan channel. At this summit, Foreign Minister al-Shaibani and his Israeli counterpart, Gideon Sa’ar, will meet at the European Union headquarters in Brussels, which will be the first publicly disclosed meeting between officials at this level.

‘Not normalization, but a de-escalation strategy’

Pro-government media outlets, including the el-Vatan newspaper, which came under the control of the new administration after the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad’s government in Syria, stated that the talks are part of a “de-escalation strategy, not normalization” and that it is “still too early” to speak of a peace agreement.

Citing a diplomatic source in Damascus, the newspaper reported that the talks revolved around “Israel’s new military presence in southern Syria.”

This statement refers to the areas in Quneitra, Daraa, and the Damascus countryside—which include strategic plateaus and freshwater sources—that Israel occupied immediately after the collapse of the Assad government.

The recent talks in Baku are not the first of their kind. The Azerbaijani capital has hosted a series of contacts between representatives of the new Syrian administration and Tel Aviv in recent months.

These contacts took place on the sidelines of meetings between Turkish and Israeli delegations following diplomatic tensions between the two countries over Israel’s opposition to any Turkish military expansion in Syria.

US and UAE involved

In addition to Azerbaijan, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is also playing a significant role in expanding communication channels between the current Syrian authorities and Israel.

The US Special Representative for Syria, Thomas Barrack, who also serves as the ambassador to Ankara, is taking the lead on this file.

All these developments indicate that bilateral talks between the new Syrian administration and Israeli officials will intensify in the coming period.

These contacts are preparatory in nature for the planned meeting between al-Sharaa and Netanyahu, where a preliminary security agreement is expected to be signed.

While this security agreement is intended to pave the way for a peace treaty, the occupied Syrian territory of the Golan Heights appears to be excluded from the equation for now.

Meanwhile, there are many doubts about Israel’s presence in the recently occupied territories, and there is talk of deploying US troops to these areas.

The possibility of opening a non-diplomatic Israeli coordination office in Damascus is somewhat reminiscent of Qatar’s experience with Israel.

Despite the absence of declared diplomatic relations between the two sides, Israelis maintain effective communication with Doha. It appears that Damascus, which is trying to meet US conditions—primarily the removal of Palestinian organizations from Syria—is currently aiming for a similar model.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was reportedly angered by the Israeli army’s assessment that establishing a concentration camp on the ruins of Rafah, considered the first step in the expulsion of Palestinians from Gaza, would take over a year.

In a briefing to the security cabinet, the Israeli army announced that the completion of the planned “humanitarian aid city” project, intended to house tens of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza, could take up to a year and cost 15 billion shekels (approximately $4 billion). This estimate far exceeds the previously projected six-month timeline.

According to a report by Ynet News based on sources, this assessment by the army angered Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Netanyahu demanded a “more realistic” plan from the commanders and ordered senior officials to explain how this facility could be built in a shorter time and at a lower cost.

According to those present at the meeting, the army appears reluctant to proceed with this highly criticized and controversial project, and the presented timeline may be an optimistic estimate aimed at appeasing Netanyahu and his cabinet.

Senior military officials speaking to Haaretz had stated that it was not feasible for the army to implement the plan to establish a concentration camp under the name of a “humanitarian aid city” in Rafah while negotiations for a ceasefire and prisoner exchange in Gaza were ongoing.

According to Ynet News, Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir had a dispute with Netanyahu and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich during the meeting. Zamir warned that assigning military units to prepare this camp area would distract from core military objectives such as dismantling Hamas and rescuing hostages. However, Netanyahu demanded a preliminary plan from the army within a few days, while Smotrich approved the initial funding for engineering preparations.

Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz had announced that he instructed Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir to prepare a plan to establish a “humanitarian aid city” in Rafah for the purpose of expelling Palestinians to other countries.

Katz announced that under this plan, they aim to initially expel 600,000 Palestinians, and subsequently all Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, to the area, and would establish a “tent city” for this purpose.

Katz noted that Palestinians who enter the area after being screened would not be able to return to other parts of the Gaza Strip, pointing out that this was “very important for Israel” in order to realize the goal of expelling Palestinians to other countries under the guise of “voluntary migration.”

Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert described Israel’s plan as a “concentration camp.”

Stating that the plan has not yet been implemented, Olmert said, “If [Palestinians] are driven into the new ‘humanitarian city,’ it could be considered part of an ethnic cleansing movement. This is a concentration camp, I’m sorry…”