US reaffirms support for anti-government protests in Syria’s Suwayda

DAMASCUS, Syria (North Press) – US official stressed on Wednesday support for anti-government protests in Suwayda Governorate, southern Syria, during a phone call with the Druze religious leader.

US Embassy in Syria said in a statement published on X (previously Twitter) that US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Ethan Goldrich called Sheikh al-Aql Hikmat al-Hajiri to reiterate US support for the protests.

According to the statement, Goldrich stressed his support for “Syrian’s freedom of expression including peaceful protest in Suwayda.”

In mid-September, reports circulated on social media and local websites in Suwayda indicating US contacts with the spiritual leadership of the Druze.

Raafat Abu Ras, a spiritual advisor for the leadership of the Druze al-Muwahhidun group, told North Press at the time that US Congressman French Hill had contacted Sheikh al-Aql Hikmat al-Hajiri in Suwayda without disclosing the content of the phone call.

Goldrich reaffirmed calls for “a just & unified Syria & a political solution consonant with UNSC Res. 2254.

Since Aug. 17, anti-government protests have erupted in Suwayda, demanding “the ousting of the regime and the implementation of the UN Res. 2254.”

By Hozan Zubeir