‘We are paying a heavy price, but we struggle to remain steadfast and preserve our identity with dignity and pride,’ says Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri, the spiritual leader of Syria’s Druze community.
According to him, the threat does not stem solely from the current rulers but from a continuous ideological current. ‘The previous regime also acted against us, but the current one is the most brutal. They do not want to eliminate only the Druze, but any minority that is not like them.’
Armed men in the streets of Sweida in July
Six months after one of the deadliest massacres the Druze community has suffered in generations, Sheikh al-Hijri speaks with rare openness about an open wound, a reality of siege and a clear aspiration to establish an independent Druze entity in Sweida province.
"The only crime for which we were murdered was being Druze", he says in a special interview with ynet. "This is an ISIS-style government, established as a direct continuation of al-Qaeda."
The massacre that took place last July, in which more than 2,000 Druze were killed, included executions, rape, abuse and the burning of people alive, women, children and infants, he says. "This was a decision by Syria’s dark regime and by all the terrorist groups operating from Damascus. It was genocide", he states.
‘The heavy price was not in vain’
Al-Hijri, 60, was born in Venezuela, where his father emigrated along with a large Druze community. Today, around 150,000 Druze live in Venezuela, making it the fourth-largest Druze population worldwide. He later returned to Syria and studied law at Damascus University.
In 2012, he replaced his brother as the spiritual leader of the Druze community following his brother’s death in a car accident that was never fully explained and was widely suspected to involve the Assad regime. Leadership of the community has remained with the al-Hijri family since the 19th century.
"The latest massacre proved that we cannot rely on anyone else to protect our community", he says. "The price was extremely heavy, but it will not be in vain. We are seeking a future in which the Druze are no longer victims."
"Since July 2025, we have been living in a state of full mobilization," he says. "Young and old alike are enlisted to defend our homes and our very existence. They wanted to annihilate us."
The reality in Sweida is dire. There is no entry and no exit. Those who worked outside the province cannot return to their jobs. Students are avoiding universities across Syria. Patients are denied treatment in hospitals outside the province, and terminal cancer patients are effectively sent to their deaths because there is no oncology department in Sweida. Israel has already treated hundreds of patients and wounded Druze in its hospitals.
Entire villages have been burned, and residents have taken refuge in schools and public buildings. There is a severe shortage of food and medicine. "People are coping with an extremely harsh reality", he says.
‘Al-Qaeda ideology’
Sweida is the largest Druze stronghold in the world, with a population of around half a million, alongside hundreds of thousands who emigrated abroad due to hardship under both Bashar Assad and his father. Syria’s transitional government currently controls 36 burned villages, about 5% of the province, which spans 5,550 square kilometers.
In recent months, a National Guard has been established, effectively a Druze fighting force operating in Sweida. Al-Hijri stresses that it does not represent a narrow faction but is based on local residents active on the ground. He says there is strong public interest in joining, although the force is still in its early stages and faces logistical limitations that he expects will gradually be resolved.
"There is no humanitarian corridor with Israel, and that makes receiving aid extremely difficult", he says. "But it is no secret that Israel was the only country in the world that intervened militarily and saved us from genocide as it was happening. That was done through airstrikes that truly stopped the massacre."
Al-Hijri emphasizes that ties between Israel and the Druze in Syria are not new. "The relationship was formed long before the fall of the Assad regime. There are blood and family ties, and it is a natural bond", he adds. "Israel is a state governed by law and international norms. That is the ideology we aspire to. We are peace-seeking, not aggressive, and we want to preserve our unique character."
He says that under Assad, all contact with Israeli citizens was banned and systematic incitement against Zionism and Israel was promoted, yet Syrians never fully severed ties with Druze in Israel. "There is international support through the media and human rights organizations", he says. "We demand not only self-administration but an independent Druze region."
By contrast, he expresses deep disappointment with the Arab world. "There is not a single Arab country that supported us. They chose to stand with the murderer, not the victim. The Arab press portrayed us as devils", he says. No Arab leader condemned the massacre, and some countries, led by Turkey, are directly involved in supporting the regime, he adds.
"There is now no contact whatsoever with the Damascus regime,’ he says. ‘Its ideology is rooted in al-Qaeda, and the Druze community can't live under it."
He says that until March 2025 there were attempts to build a civil state with an equal constitution, but these collapsed. "Anyone who engages with this regime will make it easier for jihadists to enter their country", he warns. The regime still holds more than 200 hostages, including children whose fate remains unknown.
Al-Hijri notes that all segments of Syrian society have suffered severe violence, including the Alawites, and there is broad recognition of the need to guarantee full rights for every group. He confirms ongoing strategic ties with Kurdish forces and praises their civilian and security performance.
‘Syria is heading for partition’
Asked how he sees the future, al-Hijri responds: ‘We see ourselves as an inseparable part of Israel’s strategic framework, as an arm that has allied with Israel. The relationship is international and significant. Israel is the only responsible and competent actor for future arrangements."
The central demand, he says, is full independence, though a transitional phase of self-rule under the supervision of an external Arab actor may be possible. "In my view, Israel is the appropriate actor for this", he declares, concluding: "Syria is heading toward partition and the creation of autonomous, independent regions. That is the future. This is how a better future for minorities and regional stability across the Middle East will be built."