Druze Spiritual Leadership Welcomes Entry of Government Forces into Al-Suwayda and Calls for Cooperation

The spiritual leadership of the Druze monotheistic Muslims welcomed the entry of the Ministry of Interior and Defense forces into the province of Al-Suwayda, following the deadly clashes witnessed in the province over the past two days. This came in a statement issued by the leadership today, calling on armed factions to cooperate with government forces, surrender their weapons, and engage in dialogue with the Syrian government to address the situation.

The statement emphasized: "After the unfortunate events that have affected the province of Al-Suwayda in recent days, resulting in a large number of casualties, and in order to stop the bloodshed and restore security and stability in the province, and believing that achieving this requires the state to assert its authority over the province through official institutions, especially the security and military establishment: we welcome the entry of the Ministry of Interior and Defense forces to establish control over security and military centers and secure the province."

The leadership also called on "all armed factions in the province of Al-Suwayda to cooperate with the Ministry of Interior forces, not to resist their entry, and to hand over their weapons to the Ministry of Interior," stressing the importance of "engaging in dialogue with the Syrian government to address the repercussions of the events and activate state institutions in cooperation with the residents of the province, including individuals with various expertise and capabilities."

It is worth noting that Al-Suwayda province witnessed violent confrontations between local military groups and tribes in the Al-Maqus neighborhood, resulting in dozens of deaths and injuries. Consequently, units of the Syrian Arab Army and internal security forces were deployed in the affected areas to stop the clashes and protect civilians, with some units being attacked by armed groups, leading to the martyrdom of several soldiers.

On the other hand, the Ministry of Interior called on all parties to "cooperate with the internal security forces and seek de-escalation," emphasizing the need to "quickly deploy security forces in the province, initiate dialogue to address the causes of tension, and preserve the dignity and rights of all components of society in Al-Suwayda."