Suwaida Military Council announced its formation on Monday 24 February in the village of Al-Ghariyeh [Photo credit/Screenshot/Social media/Facebook]
In the midst of the geopolitical shifts sweeping Syria since the fall of the Assad regime on 8 December 2024, particular controversy has been growing around Suweida province in the south of the counry which is dominated by Syria’s Druze minority.
On Monday, a new Druze military coalition announced its formation in Suweida province in southern Syria.
Calling itself the ‘Suweida Military Council’, several local groups promptly pledged allegiance to the body including the Bayraq Suleiman Bin Daoud Forces led by Majed Najem Abu Ras.
The council joins four other military coalitions in Suweida, in which 62 of the over 160 armed groups in the province have grouped together.
However, many are questioning the motives behind the sudden formation of the Suweida Military Council given the timing of its inaugural announcement – amid an Israeli invasion in the south – its emblems, and comments made by some of its supporters.
Why has the group been formed?
The Suweida Military Council reportedly developed out of the ‘Interim Military Council’ that formed after the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024, which emerged to counter growing security threats following the withdrawal of the Syrian regime army from the region.
The Suwaida Military Council’s inaugural statement, posted on social media platforms on Monday, stated that the aim of the new body was to “protect society and national security” in the region and endorsed the establishment of a “decentralized, secular, democratic state” in Syria.
The council’s leader is Colonel Tariq al-Shoufi, an officer who defected from the former regime and who has stated that the council seeks integration into a newly unified Syrian army.
While some are accusing the body of having separatist inclinations, Shoufi has denied this, asserting that the council’s project is purely a Syrian national one.
“We’re a Syrian national body, and our goal is clear – the unity of Syria and the protection of its people’s interests. Our slogan is ‘We sacrifice ourselves for Syria’ – this summarises our vision,” he said.
“Those accusing us of separatism either haven’t read our statement, or are trying to distort our goals to serve particular agendas. As for those who are taking exclusive possession of decision-making and reject partnership, we must question their real intentions.”
Controversy amid Israeli designs
Suweida-based activist Hani Harb, however, says the council’s formation is simply part of a regional and international plan to fragment the country’s geographical unity based on several indicators.
Firstly, the council’s slogans and flags closely resemble those of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which have so far refused to enter into the country’s transitional political process, as do the uniforms of its leadership.
Secondly, the council’s announcement coincided with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s statements demanding the demilitarisation of southern Syria.
Hani says this wasn’t a coincidence but rather confirmed secret coordination with actors seeking to make Suweida a “buffer zone” under Israeli protection and fears the council aims to become a nucleus of “an independent Druze entity”.
Suspicions were further raised after leaked statements from the council’s leaders indicated coordination with Western countries who are part of the global coalition against Islamic State group.
He believes the council’s rhetoric around “nationalism” and “decentralisation” is simply a cover to advance a project to divides Syria into sect-based cantons.
Hani also points out that despite its denial of separatism, the council’s slogans centre Druze identity, which indicates an inclination towards separatism under the pretext of “protecting the minority”, while a delegation from the Syrian Democratic Council (the SDF’s political wing) visited Suweida a few weeks ago.
The New Arab cannot verify the claims.
Local condemnation
While the council initially reported that it had received the blessing of Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri, the spiritual leader of Suweida’s Druze community, this was soon contradicted by various media outlets reporting that his office denied any connection to the project, asserting its opposition to any separatist projects.
Moreover, other factional blocs in Suweida, like the “Decisive Operations Room” and the “Joint Operations Room” which together include the majority of armed factions in the province, branded the new council “illegitimate”, accusing it of seeking to “replicate the SDF’s separatist model”.
Notably, Abu Ras, who leads one of the armed factions that joined the council, shared content expressing support for Israel, for instance commenting favourably on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s previous remarks about “protecting” Syria’s Druze.
However, after being questioned about this, Shoufi said the statement didn’t “reflect the [council’s] position” and that “we unequivocally reject any contact with hostile entities.”
But many people are convinced the council’s interests overlap with Israel’s: to make southern Syria as a demilitarised zone under the pretext of protecting the Druze; the real reason is believed to be curbing the presence of Syrian “Islamic” forces who are linked to the interim authorities in Damascus.
This is an edited and abridged translation with additional reporting from our Arabic edition.
