Suwayda remains in stasis as US signals differences with Israel on Syria
Governorate's Druze majority in deadlock with Syrian government.
United States special envoy Tom Barrack recently spoke with a popular X personality about Syria and, in particular, Suwayda, which has been a hotbed of tensions between the government and Israel.
The southern governorate, which is majority Druze, is one of the last places in the country where the Syrian government does not have full control.
Barrack referred to “a particular Druze sheikh”, thought to be Hikmat al-Hijri, a leading political and religious figure in Suwayda. The National Guard, a Druze armed group linked to al-Hijri, has been accused of receiving support from Israel with separatist ambitions.
“[Barrack’s] remarks expose differences with Israel,” Nanar Hawach, a Syrian analyst who visited Suwayda in September, told Al Jazeera. “Washington is building a partner in Damascus while Israel appears to prefer a Damascus that is too weak to assert itself in the south.”