19/07/2025
The Syrian Association in Norway express their full support for the new Syrian government, its political decisions, and its sovereign positions, which are based on the principle of serving the Syrian people and preserving their dignity. We affirm our support for the state’s policy of removing weapons that are held outside the law by individuals and armed groups of all affiliations. This step is crucial to restoring security and stability, which are the foundation of any real progress and development in the country.
Since mid-July 2025, the province of As-Suwayda has witnessed a serious escalation in security tensions following clashes between armed Druze factions and Bedouin tribes in the countryside. While most Druze factions have expressed a willingness to engage with state institutions and comply with the law, an armed group led by Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri rejected this approach and insisted on keeping their weapons outside the authority of the state.
The refusal of this group to comply is not based on a legitimate political position but is rather linked to economic and personal interests that they accumulated over many years of connection with the former regime. Under the cover of political protection, the group engaged in drug and arms trafficking and imposed control over areas outside state authority. After the fall of the previous regime, the group sought to preserve its gains by refusing to cooperate with the new leadership.
In this context, members of the group carried out organized acts of sabotage targeting state institutions in As-Suwayda. This included storming the governor’s building, stealing contents from government offices, damaging infrastructure, and even stealing electric cables. It is important to note that these violations are not new.
They have been documented for years under the rule of the former Assad regime. This proves that the group has long operated under political and security protection and has benefited from the absence of accountability. This is in contrast to the group's false claim that the new government is cutting electricity to As-Suwayda for sectarian reasons (Nedaa Post, 2023; North Press Agency, 2020).
When tensions recently escalated between Bedouin groups in the countryside and armed factions from the city, local leaders in As-Suwayda requested the state to intervene and restore order. The Syrian army and internal security forces intervened to stop the clashes, in an action consistent with what any sovereign state would do to protect its citizens and maintain security.
However, the Hijri group responded to this intervention with a direct attack on the army and security forces, resulting in deaths among state personnel and civilians. Following this, Israel launched airstrikes on Syrian army positions under the pretext of protecting a certain religious group. Field sources indicate that this intervention happened based on a direct request from the Hijri group to the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. This act is a blatant violation of Syrian sovereignty.
The act of calling on Israel to bomb Syrian security forces cannot be described as anything other than open betrayal of the principles of state and citizenship. To help the international reader understand the scale of this betrayal, imagine if an armed group in Norway asked Russia to intervene militarily on Norwegian soil to protect them from the Norwegian police. Could any sovereign state accept such a thing?
The Danish representative to the United Nations confirmed on July 17, 2025, that the Syrian army intervened to stop the clashes in As-Suwayda, while Israel attacked Syria under the excuse of protecting a certain group. This international statement refutes narratives that portray the Syrian army as the aggressor and confirms the legitimacy of its security intervention in the area.
After the Syrian army withdrew following a temporary agreement with local leaders, the Hijri militia exploited the security vacuum and launched deadly attacks against Bedouin civilians. These attacks resulted in the killing of women and children and included horrific crimes such as mutilation and beheadings, scenes that bring back the darkest periods of chaos in the country’s history.
What happened in As-Suwayda is a dangerous example of what can happen when weapons remain outside state authority and of the dangers of foreign interventions that exploit minorities to advance private agendas without regard for the interests of the Syrian people or the unity of the country.
Reference
Nedaa Post. (2023, mai 6). How did the “Fourth Division” fuel the theft of electricity cables in Suwayda? https://nedaa-post.com/كيف-غذت-الفرقة-الرابعة-عمليات-سرقة-كابلات-الكهرباء-في-السويداء
North Press Agency. (2020, november 11). Theft of power cables cuts off water to towns in Syria’s Suwayda. https://npasyria.com/en/49616/