Syrian Druze leader says his community is « Part of Israel »

Syrian Druze leader Hikmat al-Hijri has declared that the Druze community, present across several Middle Eastern countries, is "an integral part of Israel," citing a shared "faith and ideology" with the Israeli state, according to remarks reported Tuesday by the Syrian digital outlet Syria Now.

The statement marks the latest in a string of pro-Israel positions from al-Hijri, who controls the breakaway province of Sweida and has spent months pushing for an independent Druze entity in southern Syria.

"We have an interest in preserving [Israel]. States have the right to build something to protect themselves," Sheikh al-Hijri said, adding: "We hope the rest of the region will follow this humanitarian approach of building states properly », a reference to Israel, which bombed Syria earlier last week and continues to occupy and strike southern Lebanon and Gaza daily despite nominally active ceasefires.

The remarks come days after Syria and Israel held high-level talks in Jordan on Sunday, brokered by the United States, aimed at easing tensions following recent Israeli strikes on Syrian territory. Discussions between Syria's foreign minister and the head of Mossad reportedly focused on concrete mechanisms to end Israeli strikes, arrests and targeted operations inside Syria, as well as reviving negotiations toward a security arrangement that could pave the way for a broader agreement.

Al-Hijri first floated the idea of an independent Druze entity in Sweida back in January, saying Israel would be the "appropriate entity" to oversee a potential transition to autonomy. 

His calls for a separate Druze region have intensified since deadly clashes broke out in Sweida in July 2025 between Druze factions, Bedouin tribes and Syrian government forces, violence that left roughly 1,600 people dead, most of them civilians.

Following those clashes, al-Hijri formed a militia called the "National Guard" and stepped up demands for a distinct Druze territory, while increasingly presenting Israel as a "protector" of the Druze community, particularly after Israeli airstrikes on Damascus in July.

In Lebanon, al-Hijri's pro-Israel stance has drawn sharp criticism, notably from Walid Jumblatt, the former head of Lebanon's Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) and a prominent Druze leader.