Israel’s top Druze spiritual leader Sheikh Muwaffaq Tarif has called for a political settlement to safeguard Druze communities in southern Syria after deadly clashes in Sweida, a move political sources in Tel Aviv said reflects appeals from most Druze sheikhs inside Syria.
The sources said Druze elders in Sweida remain largely aligned with the Syrian state and oppose separatist initiatives pushed by Israel's Syrian counterpart, Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri.
They have asked Druze leaders in Israel to respect that stance and help foster understandings with Damascus while discouraging secessionist movements.
Tarif, who met US envoy Tom Barrack in Paris last week, told Euronews that Israeli Druze were “messengers of peace” but deeply angered by massacres in Sweida and nearby towns.
He said he no longer blamed either Syrian authorities or Bedouin tribes for the killings, attributing them instead to “a minority of criminal gangs” who used tanks, armored vehicles and drones.
He criticized Damascus for failing to resolve the crisis, accusing the government of neglecting nearly 700 kidnapped Druze, including 100 women and 200 children, and preventing displaced residents from returning to some 40 villages.
“The government has not lifted the siege, restored services or punished the perpetrators,” he said.
Tarif praised Israeli intervention for halting bloodshed in the July clashes, claiming “without Israel, the Druze in Syria would have been wiped out.” But he also urged international engagement, calling for a safe corridor from Israel – after Jordan declined – to deliver aid into Sweida.
Hijri, by contrast, last week reaffirmed demands for self-determination, calling it a “sacred right” under international law.
His stance has drawn shrinking crowds at weekly rallies in Sweida, local media reported, while Tarif’s appeal for reintegration within the Syrian state has highlighted a widening rift between the two spiritual leaders.
Israeli officials are expected to raise the issue of Druze and other minorities during upcoming talks between Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani and Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, political sources said.
Tarif also said Christian and Alawite clerics in Syria had contacted him directly to seek help, saying their communities faced similar dangers.
He linked his solidarity with Syrian Druze to the Druze principle of “preserving brethren,” citing a Tel Aviv University study showing 82% of Israeli Druze would risk their lives for fellow Druze abroad and 77% would take up arms alongside them.
Many Druze families in Israel have close kinship ties with the Druze of Syria, he added.
