Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri, the spiritual leader of the Druze in southern Syria, issued a public statement on the official page of “The Spiritual Leadership of the Druze Monotheists” in Sweida — using the biblical name Mount Bashan instead of Jabal al-Arab.
Analysts say this move aims to gain favor with the Israeli government to support his separatist demands.
In his appeal to the “UN Secretary-General, the UN Security Council, the Arab League, and various international bodies,” al-Hijri described a “humanitarian catastrophe” in what he called Jabal al-Bashan, claiming the area has been under a “comprehensive siege” for months, threatening the lives of civilians and cutting off food, medicine, fuel, and freedom of movement.
He added that the mountain’s population faces a total collapse of public services — halted salaries and pensions, shutdown of government institutions due to internet disconnection, students unable to travel because of sectarian incitement, ongoing attacks against civilians, and the destruction of medical facilities that caused several deaths from lack of medicine.