A ceasefire between gunmen linked to Syrian authorities and Druze fighters was reportedly reached on Wednesday, following intensive mediation by former Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) leader Walid Joumblatt. The effort involved contacts with the new Syrian administration, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Jordan, according to al-Markazia news agency.
Joumblatt called on all parties to work toward halting the violence and urged a resolution grounded in the principles of state authority and the unity of Syria in all its diversity.
As a result of these efforts, a ceasefire agreement was reached and went into effect approximately 30 minutes before the report’s publication, the agency said.
The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said that two local fighters were killed in clashes in Sahnaya overnight on Wednesday, a town about 15 kilometers southwest of Damascus that is home to both Druze and Christian communities.
Deadly clashes had also erupted the previous night in Jaramana, a predominantly Druze and Christian suburb southeast of the capital, reportedly triggered by the circulation of an audio recording attributed to a Druze citizen that was deemed blasphemous to the Prophet Mohammad.
Joumblatt also emphasized the need to preserve the ceasefire, as a high-level Druze delegation from Jabal al-Arab is expected to arrive in Damascus to help ease tensions. The delegation includes the community’s two spiritual leaders, Sheikh Hammoud al-Hanawi and Sheikh Youssef Jarbou’, along with the leader of the “Men of Dignity” movement Sheikh Yahya al-Hajjar, Prince Hassan al-Atrash, and other Druze religious and community figures.
The purpose of the delegation’s visit is to finalize an agreement that would ensure a lasting end to intra-communal violence, which, according to a PSP statement, “only serves the interests of the Israeli enemy.”
In a related development, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that Israeli forces had carried out a strike in Syria on Wednesday, targeting what he described as an “extremist group” preparing to attack members of the Druze community near Damascus.
“The IDF carried out a preemptive strike on an extremist group that was planning an attack on the Druze population in the town of Sahnaya,” Netanyahu’s office said in a statement.
“A clear message was sent to the Syrian regime: Israel expects it to prevent any harm to the Druze community,” the statement added, referring to Syria’s new leadership, reportedly dominated by Islamist factions following the ousting of former President Bashar al-Assad in December.
The Israeli airstrike came amid reports of sectarian clashes near Damascus that left at least 13 people dead, according to state media and SOHR.
Since the change of leadership in Syria, Israel has stepped up airstrikes and deployed troops in the demilitarized buffer zone of the Golan Heights.
Israeli authorities have consistently voiced support for Syria’s Druze population while expressing concern over the country’s new rulers.
“On this Memorial Day for the fallen soldiers of the IDF, when we honor the great contributions of the Druze community to Israel’s security, we place immense importance on our commitment to protect their brothers in Syria,” the statement from Netanyahu’s office said.
“Israel will not allow harm to come to the Druze community in Syria, out of a deep commitment to our Druze brothers in Israel, who share family and historical ties with their brethren across the border.”
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