Yedioth Ahronoth: Druze leader Hikmat al Hijri in an exclusive interview

The Sheikh of the Druze Unitarian community in Swaida governorate, Hikmat al Hijri, stated that the Druze consider themselves an essential part of the system linked to the existence of the State of Israel, describing the relationship with it as an old alliance that extends for many years.

In an exclusive interview with the Israeli Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper, al Hijri said that in his view, Israel is the only party capable of playing the role of guarantor of any future political settlement related to the fate of the Druze in southern Syria.

He explained that the Druze’s fundamental demand is to achieve full independence, with the possibility of accepting a transitional phase under the supervision of a guarantor, considering that the current Syrian authority deals with minorities with a hostile mentality, stressing that it’s – according to his description – more violent and abusive than the former Assad regime.

Hijri went too far as to liken the Syrian government to extremist organizations, considering that they emerged as a direct extension of al Qaeda, and said that what Swaida witnessed amounted to genocide, adding that recent events have strengthened the Druze’s conviction that they cannot rely on any external party to protect themselves.

In a related context, al Hijri praised the Israeli strikes, considering that they contributed to stopping what he described as massacres, stressing that Israel, in his opinion, was the only country that intervened militarily to save the Druze during periods of escalation.

He also pointed out that there is no direct humanitarian corridor with Israel, which complicates the delivery of aid to Swaida, pointing out that the ties between Israel and the Druze in Swaida aren’t born of the moment, but date back to before the fall of the Assad regime, describing this relationship as based on ties of kinship and blood, and that it’s a natural relationship.

Hikmat al Hijri sharply criticized the Arab countries, accusing them of abandoning the Druze in the past months, and said that none of these countries provided real support, but chose to stand by those he described as torturers, while the Arab media portrayed the Druze in a negative way.

In July 2025, Swaida province witnessed the most violent wave of escalation in years, beginning with attacks carried out by Druze militants against Bedouin areas, followed by a large-scale offensive by Syrian government forces with the support of tribal groups, and interspersed with bloody violations that resulted in thousands of deaths and injuries.

Against the backdrop of these events, the Syrian authorities announced the opening of an extensive investigation into the abuses that took place, and arrested a large number of those involved in the attack.