YONI BEN MENACHEM -- On August 9, the city of al-Hasakah in northeast Syria hosted a conference titled “Unity of the stance of the actors in North and East Syria.” Organized by the “Civil Administration of North and East Syria,” the civilian arm of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), it drew mixed reactions among Syrians.
The Civil Administration, composed of various ethnic and religious groups, aims to promote regional autonomy and represent minorities such as Sunnis, Druze, Armenians, Assyrians, Syriacs, and Kurds. Participants included Druze from the southwest, Armenians from the north, and Assyrians from the east, who stressed defending their rights and preserving their cultures through regional autonomy.
Israeli security sources say the Druze massacre in Sweida was a turning point, alarming the Kurds, who fear similar attacks, prompting the conference.
The Damascus regime saw the event as a threat to its control and unity. As a result, it canceled a planned Paris meeting with SDF leaders intended to follow up on March 2025 agreements to integrate the SDF into new Syrian state institutions.