Al-Hijri: Sweida Faces Systematic Genocide Amid International Community Silence

Sheikh Hikmat Salman Al-Hijri, the spiritual leader of the Druze community, issued a statement today, Saturday, expressing condolences to the families of the victims in Sweida who fell while confronting what he described as "terrorist attacks," emphasizing that what is happening in the region constitutes a "systematic genocide" occurring in full view of the world amid unjustified international silence.

Al-Hijri explained that the province of Sweida is living in a tragic situation, where residents are suffering from a suffocating siege that has led to a severe shortage of water and electricity, in addition to a lack of food supplies.

He continued that the region is also witnessing random shelling, abductions of innocents, field executions, and the burning of homes with their occupants inside, considering these violations to be war crimes according to international laws and Geneva conventions.

Al-Hijri also condemned what he called "media disinformation campaigns" that seek to justify these brutal acts under the guise of "peace," expressing his gratitude for the supportive positions expressed by some countries and entities, including the United States, Israel, Gulf states, as well as the autonomous administration in northern and eastern Syria.

He called on the United Nations and the International Security Council to take urgent action, outlining five main demands: first, to open a neutral international investigation; second, to refer those responsible for the crimes to the International Criminal Court; third, to send international monitoring missions to protect civilians; fourth, to stop any support directed to the armed factions besieging Sweida; and finally, to ensure the withdrawal of those factions from the province's borders.

In conclusion, Al-Hijri called on the people of Sweida to unite and reject division, stressing that the people of the mountain have never been advocates of war, but they will not hesitate to defend themselves and their land, adding that "Jabal Al-Arab" will remain steadfast and unbroken.