Druze Resist U.S.-Brokered Syria Stability Plan

After a summer of bloodshed in Suwayda, the United States, Jordan, and Syria are betting on a 13-point plan to keep the Druze province from sliding into more chaos.

Syrian Foreign Minister Assad al-Shaibani, U.S. envoy to Syria Tom Barrack, and Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi jointly announced on September 16 an initiative that includes expanding humanitarian aid, giving security responsibilities to local authorities aligned with the government, and holding perpetrators of crimes against civilians in the province accountable. However, doubts persist about its feasibility. Druze spiritual leader Hikmat al-Hijri has rejected the proposal, while many in Suwayda continue to push for complete separation from Syria. The plan also lacks clear accountability measures for those who committed crimes against civilians, and ongoing Israeli support for Druze militias has strengthened their resolve to resist integration into the state.

More Transparent Accountability Measures Key To Rebuilding Trust

The Supreme Legal Committee in Suwayda, an administrative body that emerged after the July clashes, criticized the government’s plan as contradictory. The committee noted that despite the government’s stated intention to convene an international commission to investigate the crimes, the plan insists that the Syrian state would ensure accountability under its own laws. In effect, the committee argued, this “contradiction strips the international investigation of its substance.”

Mistrust in Syria’s legal system stems primarily from its lack of action in holding perpetrators accountable. Aside from the Ministry of Interior releasing mugshots of arrested individuals affiliated with the Assad regime and a few of government-aligned fighters, the system has not shown any ability to conduct prosecutions. The absence of accountability two months after the Suwayda attacks in July, coupled with the lack of evidence that the government held its forces responsible for crimes against the Alawite community in March 2025, has further eroded the Druze community’s trust and made it less inclined to believe in the government’s plan.

Druze Push for Separation Poses Challenge to Stability Plan

The Legal Committee also stated that the “Sons of Suwayda have the legal and moral right for self-determination and independence, through autonomy or separation.” In August, hundreds of Druze demonstrated, carrying signs with slogans such as, “The right of self-determination is a holy right for Suwayda.” Locals in Suwayda have also launched a campaign named “Right to Self-Determination,” collecting signatures from the province’s residents.

Yet the push for separation in Suwayda has gone beyond street protests, extending into the establishment of parallel state-like institutions, most notably the formation of a military body known as the National Guard. This faction, a group of Druze militias in Suwayda aligned with al-Hijri, has received backing from Israel. According to a Reuters report, Israel has helped “unify splintered Druze factions and delivered military supplies, including guns and ammunition, to them.” The report also noted that, “Israel was paying salaries for many of the roughly 3,000 Druze militia fighters.”

The Druze perceive Israel’s sustained support for their armed factions as a tacit endorsement of Druze autonomy in Suwayda — a signal likely to embolden them to resist integration in the state and reject the U.S.-led initiative.

U.S. Should Incorporate Suwayda Status into Israel-Syria Security Deal

A political solution for Suwayda should be part of a broader framework that incorporates the proposed Israel-Syria security agreement, which Washington has been advocating for since May. The negotiations will focus on the number of Syrian troops allowed south of Damascus and the types of weapons they may deploy. However, the solution must feature a Suwayda component as well that outlines Israel’s demands for the Syrians to protect the Druze community from future onslaughts.

At the same time, Washington must inform Damascus that lasting stability depends on the government demonstrating its trustworthiness to Syria’s diverse communities. The government must ensure accountability within its own military ranks for crimes committed against the Druze and other groups.

Ahmad Sharawi is a research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD). For more analysis from Ahmad and FDD, please subscribe HERE. Follow Ahmad on X @AhmadA_Sharawi. Follow FDD on X @FDD. FDD is a Washington, DC-based, nonpartisan research institute focusing on national security and foreign policy