Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri, the spiritual leader of Syria’s Druze community, called on the international community to support the establishment of a separate Druze province. Meeting with members of the armed faction “Men of Dignity” in Sweida, he said: “We appeal to the honorable people of the world, to free nations, to stand with us in declaring a separate province that will protect our children forever. We are people of peace, not evil. We defend ourselves, we do not attack others. But the barbaric assault we endured shows the savagery surrounding us.”

Al-Hijri stressed the importance of “uniting efforts and fronts” and praised the creation of the “National Guard,” a coalition of Sweida’s armed factions and the province’s Supreme Judicial Committee. He described it as a parallel structure to state institutions: “We found a system equal to the army, now represented by the National Guard, alongside the judicial committee. We opened a new path after the existential disaster aimed at destroying us before the eyes of the world.”

Israeli security officials say that this new Druze “National Guard” marks a step toward autonomy, complicating Syria’s already fragmented landscape. The move strengthens al-Hijri’s hand in resisting Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, who is struggling to reassert control in the south.