SWEIDA (Realist English). The spiritual leader of Syria’s Druze community, Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri, has proposed integrating Sweida province in southern Syria into the State of Israel.
Speaking at an event marking the first anniversary of deadly inter-communal clashes in the province, al-Hijri stated that the region’s autonomy could be preserved “under protection or even through integration with another state.”
“We are determined to preserve our autonomy in Sweida so that we can live an independent life and offer people a model for this region,” he said. “We will never forget those who supported us. I would like to make special mention of the State of Israel, given our geographical proximity, and we respond with respect to those who respect us, and rely on their support to live in safety.”
A Year of Bloody Clashes in Sweida
Al-Hijri’s proposal came against the backdrop of continued instability in Syria following the fall of Bashar al-Assad in December 2024. Sweida province, where the Druze community is concentrated, has become the scene of fierce clashes between Druze militias, Bedouin tribes, and forces loyal to the new authorities in Damascus.
According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, more than 2,000 people have been killed in the violence in Sweida, including 789 Druze civilians.
The clashes began in July 2025 after a Bedouin gang robbed and kidnapped a Druze merchant. In response, Israel carried out airstrikes on the province and Damascus, nominally in support of the Druze minority.
Al-Hijri: From Autonomy to Integration
Al-Hijri is seen as the leader of the most openly pro-Israeli political and armed factions in Sweida. In January 2026, in an interview with the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth, he already spoke of the desire to create an “independent Druze region” and called Israel the “only guarantor.”
At the time, he said: “We see ourselves as an integral part of the existence of the State of Israel, like a hand that has made an alliance with Israel. Israel is the only guarantor and authorized party for future arrangements.” He also expressed disappointment with the Arab world: “No Arab country supported us. They chose to side with the killer rather than the victim.”
Division Within the Druze Community
Al-Hijri’s proposals do not find unanimous support. Lebanese Druze leader Walid Jumblatt called the project “suicidal,” as it “harms all the interests of Arab Muslim Druze in the region.”
In Sweida itself, an alternative initiative called the “Third Stream” was launched in February 2026, emphasizing that Sweida is an “integral part of a unified Syria” and rejecting separatist aspirations. Its supporters point to the geographical impracticality of integration: the provinces of Quneitra and Daraa separate the Druze region from Israel by more than 100 kilometers.
In January 2026, groups associated with al-Hijri held a demonstration in central Sweida with Israeli flags and portraits of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. However, reports indicated that participation in the event was limited.
Israel’s Position and Regional Implications
Israel has repeatedly stated its readiness to protect the Druze community in Syria. In July 2025, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that Israel “will not tolerate any threat to the Druze community in southern Syria.” Reports indicate that Israel is arming and funding Druze militias in Sweida.
As Middle East Eye notes, opinions on Israel are divided within the Druze community. However, al-Hijri remains the most prominent voice calling for rapprochement with the Jewish state.
Al-Hijri’s proposal is unlikely to be realized in the near future: Sweida’s geographical isolation, the lack of consensus within the community, and Damascus’s position make integration improbable.
However, the very fact of public discussion of such an option testifies to the depth of the rift in Syrian society and the degree of desperation of the Druze minority, caught between the hammer of the new authorities and the anvil of inter-communal violence.
