{"id":2787,"date":"2026-02-22T06:50:05","date_gmt":"2026-02-22T06:50:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/israelagora.com.br\/en\/?page_id=2787"},"modified":"2026-02-22T06:50:05","modified_gmt":"2026-02-22T06:50:05","slug":"a-comunidade-drusa-na-siria-continua-sitiada-neses-apos-os-confrontos-violentos","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/israelagora.com.br\/en\/?page_id=2787","title":{"rendered":"The druze community in Syria remains besieged months after violent clashes"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Sheikh Muafak Tarif, spiritual leader of the Druze community in Israel, poses for a picture during an interview in the village of Julis in northern Israel on February 15, 2026. (Jalaa Marey \/ AFP)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
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\r\n\t#Druzes<\/a><\/p>

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\r\n\tSeven months after the serious clashes that shook the province of Sweida in southern Syria, the local Druze community continues to live in extreme suffering and isolation<\/strong><\/p>

Sheikh Muafak Tarif, spiritual leader of the Druze in Israel, warned in a recent interview that the Syrian Druze remain completely surrounded and besieged, without free access to humanitarian aid.\r\n<\/p>

\r\nThe problems began in July 2025, when violent clashes erupted between Druze fighters and Sunni Bedouin tribes in the mountainous region known as Jabal al-Druze.<\/p>

\r\nSyrian government forces entered the conflict to try to restore order, but many residents and observers accused the authorities of siding with the Bedouins, which intensified the sectarian violence.<\/p>

\r\nThe toll was devastating: more than two thousand people died, including hundreds of Druze civilians who, according to reports, were summarily executed.<\/p>

\r\nDuring the height of the crisis, Israel carried out bombings in Syria, justifying the action as necessary to protect the Druze minority.\r\n<\/p>

\r\nEven after the ceasefire reached in July, the reality on the ground has improved little.<\/p>

\r\nSheikh Tarif described how the community remains completely isolated, prevented from receiving any kind of assistance, including that which the Israeli Druze are trying to send.<\/p>

\r\nMore than 120,000 people remain displaced from their homes, without permission to return, as 38 villages have been seized and residents are prohibited from returning.<\/p>

\r\nFurthermore, more than 300 people, including women and children, remain as hostages or captives.\r\n<\/p>

\r\nWith the arrival of the harsh winter in the mountainous areas, the humanitarian crisis worsens even further.<\/p>

\r\nThe intense cold adds to the scarcity of food, medicine, and basic supplies, making life unbearable for those who have already lost homes, family members, and livelihoods.<\/p>

\r\nThe Israeli Druze leader vehemently criticized Syrian government forces, calling some of their members “jihadists” and comparing them to members of the Islamic State.<\/p>

\r\nHe argued that the Druze have the capacity to defend themselves and maintain security in the region without relying on external interventions which, in his opinion, only worsen the situation.\r\n<\/p>

\r\nSweida remains one of the last major areas outside the complete control of Damascus, even after the fall of Bashar al-Assad in December 2024 and the changes in the Syrian government.<\/p>

\r\nAlthough some humanitarian aid convoys have managed to enter since the ceasefire, access remains extremely restricted, and authorities deny imposing any official blockade.<\/p>

\r\nMeanwhile, Israel and the new Syrian leadership maintain indirect contacts, with recent advances in information-sharing mechanisms and discussions about the possibility of Syrian Druze working in Israel to alleviate the severe economic crisis in the neighboring country.\r\n<\/p>

\r\nSheikh Tarif reinforced the urgent appeal for families to be able to return to their villages and for humanitarian aid to reach them without hindrance.<\/p>

\r\nHe emphasized that the Druze deserve the same right to peace, freedom of movement, and access to their holy sites that Christians and Muslims enjoy in other contexts, even without formal diplomatic relations.<\/p>

\r\nThe message is clear and worrying: months after the worst of the violence, the suffering of the Druze community in Syria is far from over.

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Published in 02\/22\/2026 06h50<\/em><\/p>\r\n

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Portuguese version<\/a><\/em><\/p>\r\n

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Text adapted by AI (Grok) and translated via Google API in the English version. Images from public image libraries or credits in the caption.<\/p>\r\n\t\t

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