Washington Post: Israeli support for Hijri forces
The Washington Post, citing Israeli, Western and Kurdish officials, revealed that Israel has provided continuous military and financial support to al Hijri’s forces in Syria since December 2024, including sending weapons, paying monthly salaries, and exchanging intelligence information, through channels including the Syria Democratic Forces.
According to the report, Israel has been sending weapons to the Hejri forces since December 17, 2024, and military support is still ongoing so far, according to Israeli officials confirmed to the Washington Post.
The sources added that Israel paid monthly salaries of between $100 and $200 to about 3,000 members of the Hijri forces.
An Israeli official reported that the Israeli government transferred $24,000 to Tariq al Shoufy, a commander linked to the former Syrian regime, through the SDF.
Israeli officials also said that the SDF transferred about half a million dollars to the Hijri forces as part of this route.
The report quoted a Kurdish official as saying that the SDF continues to train Druze fighters in northeastern Syria.
In the same context, a Western official pointed out that al Hijri has prepared maps for a Druze state project that extends geographically to the Syrian Iraqi borders.
On the other hand, an Israeli official told the Washington Post that the establishment of an independent Druze state, described as Druzestan, isn’t in Israel’s interest, while stressing that Israel’s policy towards the Druze in Syria isn’t yet decided.
Israeli officials said the weapons sent to Hijri’s forces included equipment previously confiscated from Hezbollah and Hamas.
The Washington Post also quoted a commander in Hijri forces as saying that they had received anti-tank missiles from the SDF, in addition to Israeli support in the form of providing them with satellite imagery during the battles against Syrian government forces.
The report concludes that this support is taking place within the framework of a complex network of undisclosed relations and contacts, at a time when Israeli sources confirm that Israel hasn’t yet settled on a clear and definitive policy towards the Druze in Syria, amid accelerated developments on the ground and politics.
Sweida witnessed a week of violent clashes on July 13 between Druze fighters and Bedouin tribes, with government security forces intervening to stop the clashes, while about 200,000 people were displaced by the conflict, according to UN estimates, however, since July 19, the province has been witnessing a ceasefire following bloody clashes that left hundreds dead, with a timid return of displaced people.
