Despite Its Disagreements with Assad, Why is the Druze Community Linked to Russia in Syria?

The Syrian Regime is still flipping the file of Suwayda Province, although this is taking place through Russia in an attempt to determine the destiny of the predominantly Druze province,  and settling the issues that have been pending for nine years, amid a hidden power conflict between Tehran and Moscow in southern Syria. Russia seems more enthusiastic in winning the Suwayda paper to its side, this is clear through the unprecedented intensification of meetings of Russian officers, with the leaders and Sheikhs of the Druze community in the province, the Syrian Regime's influence is limited to government buildings and military bases in its countryside.

The Interest in Druze

Syrian journalist Nawras Aziz gave a brief overview of the beginning of Russian moves in Suwayda, motivated by the Syrian Regime with the aim of breaking the thorn of local factions, which prevented the Regime from any arrests of its opponents, or the conscription for their children for compulsory military service, and put them in the battles which it is fighting to put out the revolution, considering that the war in Syria is sectarian.

Aziz, who is from Suwayda, said in a statement to “Al-Estiklal”: “The first visit of the Russians to Suwayda was in 2017 and they met with the Regime officials”. He said: “The Russians had reports from the Regime that there were terrorist groups that should be eliminated, its weapon must be handed over, here were meant the (men of dignity), it is a local community faction”.

The secret meeting revealed on 13 April 2021 between a Russian delegation and the spiritual leader of the Druze monotheists in Suwayda, Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri, formed a big turn and a new crisis between the Syrian Regime and the Druze.

Especially since “al-Hijri” according to the information nominated for the meeting, he rejected the continued presence of the Regime president Bashar al-Assad in ruling, as a final solution to prevent the country from sliding towards partition, and to open the door in front of the return of the displaced and reconstruction, according to “Horia press” reported.

Al-Hijri had a strong relationship with the Assad Regime, and was seen as the closest of the senior Druze community sheikhs, before being “insulted” on January 25, 2021, by the leader of Assad's military intelligence branch in the southern region, Brigadier General Louay al-Ali, when asked by phone call about the destiny of one of the detainees from Sons of Suwayda.

And commenting on this paragraph, Nawras said: “Sheikh Hikmat is under pressures, in order to issue a statement negation his statement, about his refusal to stay Bashar al-Assad in ruling, where that if the Russians want Mowafaq Tarif to put pressure on the Suwayda Druze, they will face a problem in passing a number of projects there”. The journalist Nawras said: "The Russians are trying to pass a self-administration project in Suwayda with the support of Israel, and the attempts are still underway, apparently there is U.S. approval in coordination with Qasad's forces”.

Aziz indicated that “There is a Russian-American project just around the corner from its implementation in all of Syria, especially in the south, where Washington is seeking to support some Druze figures abroad”.

Nawras stated that “There is money being pumped in this context, without knowing whether there are parties behind it from inside Palestine or not, but all we have is a project that will be passed soon”.

Deliberately Strangles

The province of Suwayda is under difficult living and economic conditions, because of the increased dose of restrictions on it from the Syrian Regime in order to undergo it. The province is experiencing a lack of jobs and limited places of agriculture, a weak business situation, a constant rejection of reality by the people, and come up with frequent demonstrations, under the hashtag “we want to live”, amid chants demanding Assad's departure.

Given the living situation of Suwayda, was a clear that Sheikh Tarif's offer to the Russian ambassador during the meeting, providing and transferring humanitarian and material aid from Druze in Palestine to their brothers in Syria directly through Russian mediation, in a clear reference to the Syrian Regime's opposition to the idea, in addition to Sheikh Tarif's discussion with the Russian ambassador about the possibility of opening a crossing between Jabal al-Druze and Jordan.

This is a clear indication of the desire to get rid of the Syrian Regime's control of the only "Nassib" crossing with Jordan, which has been reopened mid-October 2018.

Aziz attributed the reason for Sheikh Tarif's demand to open a new crossing for what constitutes a big breath for Suwayda, even for Syria economically, with the province's youth refusing to join the fight with Assad's forces, and the Regime's desire to strangle it and bring it under its control, where that the claim is not new, and it has been on the table since 2013, specifically from the village of Dhibin in southern Suwayda”.

This is not the first time that the spiritual leader of the Druze community in occupied Palestine, Sheikh Mowafaq Tarif, has met with the Russians, he has held several meetings in Moscow on Druze affairs previously, with senior negotiators and officials of the Russian Foreign and Defense Ministries, to discuss how to maintain the security and stability of Druze in Suwayda.

But the highlight of the new meeting, which expressed great concerns suffered by the people of Suwayda, is the issue of Russia's recruitment of youth, by exploiting their financial destitution, that forced them to fight battles for its benefit outside Syria.

The spiritual leader of the Druze community in Palestine, concerned about the travel of Druze youth to Libya and Ukraine, called on the Ambassador to work to stop this phenomenon, and find a final solution to it with the Druze leaders in Syria. On this issue, Syrian writer and journalist Hafez karkout linked in a statement to “Al-Estiklal”: “The Russians' continued attempts to convince the sheikhs and elders of Suwayda to go to serve with Assad's forces, with a view to hold the paper of the Regime on the one hand and the paper of the people on the one hand”.

He said: “So, they found part of this alternative, which is to recruit youth of Suwayda as mercenaries, through the financial temptations to fight in Libya, or to protect oil facilities inside Syria, this is a precedent in Druze history”.

karkout noted that “Sheikh Tarif is in his international presence during the religious conferences, he is trying to correct the recruitment of youth of Suwayda”.

Unannounced Race

Southern Syria is considered in its three provinces (Daraa- Suwayda -Quneitra), one of the four sectors in which Iran aspires to spread Shi’ism, and establishing a military presence there, especially since it is close to Israel's borders.

Israeli air strikes on Iranian militia positions across Syria have long been formed evidence of the extent of Russian-Israeli coordination and understanding between them on the stability of the security situation in Syrian areas near the occupied Palestinian territories.

In this context, the writer Karkout went to that “the Druze paper in Suwayda is linked to their presence and spread in Israel, Lebanon and Jordan; therefore, the Russians not interested in their return entirely to the authority of the Syrian Regime, they are in an unannounced race with Iran to catch files inside Syria.

He further noted that “The Druze in Syria are going through a historically weak phase, compared to their presence around the Middle East over the past century, since the Assad’s family took control of Syria, they have tried to marginalize them, keeping their impact away from political and economic life what has pushed their youth to emigrate.

And Hassan added in a statement to “Al-Estiklal”: “In the first phase, the Druze are asking Russia for steps to build trust, this step includes Moscow's funding of a military project, comprising all factions of Suwayda, this project is not part of the Regime's loyal forces”.

So, a similar project is negotiated with Russia, where it takes into account the nature of the components of the region, and improves the confidence test conditions, especially with Iranian threats to change the shape of the region, according to his discretion.