{"id":128744,"date":"2025-08-25T13:30:43","date_gmt":"2025-08-25T13:30:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/npasyria.com\/en\/?p=128744"},"modified":"2025-08-25T13:30:45","modified_gmt":"2025-08-25T13:30:45","slug":"hijri-calls-on-nations-to-support-autonomous-region-in-suwayda","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/npasyria.com\/en\/128744\/","title":{"rendered":"Hijri calls on nations to support Autonomous Region in Suwayda"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>By Malin Muhammed<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>SUWAYDA, Syria (North Press)<\/strong> \u2013 The spiritual leader of Syria\u2019s Druze community, Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri, on Monday called on states and \u201cfree peoples\u201d to support the community\u2019s demand for declaring a separate region in Suwayda, southern Syria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Al-Hijri made the statement in a speech at the residence of Mazid Khaddaj, newly appointed commander of the Men of Dignity Movement, in the town of Qanawat. He said, \u201cWe ask all states and free peoples to stand by us as Druze in Suwayda to declare a separate region to protect us forever.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The remarks came one day after the Men of Dignity Movement announced the appointment of Abu Diab Mazid Khaddaj as its new general commander, succeeding the late Hassan Yahya al-Hajjar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Al-Hijri stressed that the Druze community has always called for peace, not conflict: \u201cWe have the right to defend ourselves, but we refuse to be aggressors.\u201d He condemned what he described as recent \u201cbarbaric attacks\u201d against the Druze, saying such acts demonstrate the \u201cbrutality\u201d of the conditions they face.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The spiritual leader extended thanks to countries that expressed solidarity with the Druze of Syria, specifically mentioning the United States and Israel, as well as Druze communities in Israel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">His call followed recent security developments in Suwayda. On Saturday, several armed factions in the governorate announced their full merger under the name \u201cNational Guard Forces,\u201d reflecting an effort to unify local armed structures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In recent weeks, Suwayda has witnessed a sharp escalation of violence after attacks by Syrian government forces and allied Bedouin tribes on Druze communities. Local sources reported dozens of civilians killed, with entire families targeted in what residents described as massacres. Armed assaults struck villages and towns, leaving widespread destruction and sparking mass displacement. Community leaders condemned the violence, calling it a systematic attempt to crush the Druze population. The events have deepened fears of further instability in southern Syria.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Malin Muhammed SUWAYDA, Syria (North Press) \u2013 The spiritual leader of Syria\u2019s Druze community, Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri, on Monday called on states and \u201cfree peoples\u201d to support the community\u2019s demand for declaring a separate region in Suwayda, southern Syria. Al-Hijri made the statement in a speech at the residence of Mazid Khaddaj, newly appointed [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":128746,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pgc_sgb_lightbox_settings":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[39,7,2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-128744","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-home","category-military-developments","category-syria"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Hijri calls on nations to support Autonomous Region in Suwayda<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"By Malin Muhammed SUWAYDA, Syria (North Press) \u2013 The spiritual leader of Syria\u2019s Druze community, Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri, on Monday called on states and\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, 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