Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa accused Israel overnight Thursday of seeking to turn his country into a “theater of chaos,” following days of heavy fighting in the Druze stronghold of Sweida and Israeli airstrikes aimed at halting regime attacks on local residents.
Speaking hours after a ceasefire took effect and his forces began withdrawing from the southern province, al-Sharaa lashed out at what he described as Israeli interference under the guise of protecting the Druze. “The Israeli entity is trying to turn our land into a theater of chaos,” he said in a televised address. “Since the regime fell, Israel has sought to dismantle Syria.”
Al-Sharaa’s comments came after five days of intense clashes in Sweida between regime forces and local Druze fighters, sparked by escalating tensions and reports of atrocities against civilians. Israeli airstrikes—including one that struck Syrian military headquarters in Damascus—followed appeals from Druze leaders who accused the regime of waging “a war of extermination.”
The Syrian president said Israel’s strikes had only inflamed the situation and accused it of targeting civilian and government infrastructure to undermine Syrian efforts to restore order. “Syria is not a testing ground for foreign conspiracies,” al-Sharaa declared, adding that responsibility for maintaining security in Sweida had been handed to local sheikhs and community leaders.
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“We, the people of Syria, know who is trying to drag us into war and divide us,” he said. “They want to ignite a conflict on our soil to split our homeland and spread destruction.”
Addressing Syria’s Druze community directly, al-Sharaa said: “You are an inseparable part of our nation. Syria will never be a place for division or internal strife. Protecting your rights and freedoms is a top priority. We reject any effort to lure you into siding with foreign interests.”
Heavy clashes between Druze fighters and regime loyalists in Sweida, Syria
He acknowledged long-standing tribal and political tensions in the region but claimed the recent bloodshed was fueled by “lawless militias used to chaos and incitement” who refused dialogue and prioritized narrow interests. Still, he said, the state’s efforts to restore stability “succeeded despite Israeli interventions.”
Al-Sharaa also credited U.S., Arab and Turkish mediation with preventing broader escalation, saying their involvement helped steer the region away from “an uncertain fate.”
The ceasefire, announced Wednesday afternoon by senior Druze cleric Sheikh Yusuf Jerboua, followed intense diplomatic pressure. It allows for full integration of Sweida into Syria’s new power structure while requiring al-Sharaa’s military units—many composed of former jihadist fighters integrated into state forces—to withdraw. Local Druze forces will now assume responsibility for security in the province.
Shortly afterward, reports emerged of renewed gunfire in Sweida, though local sources suggested it may have been an isolated incident.
The U.S. State Department earlier called on the Syrian regime to pull its fighters from Sweida “to allow all sides to de-escalate.” Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed a deal had been reached, saying it included “specific steps” and a mutual expectation of compliance.