Syrian Government: We reject the exploitation of As-Suwayda's Druze in Israeli election propaganda

The source said that Israel armed an "outlaw militia" to incite chaos in As-Suwayda and drag the country into a wide-scale war.

He explained that "the Druze component in As-Suwayda governorate was and will remain an integral and essential part of the national fabric of the Syrian Arab Republic."

The source stressed Damascus's "categorical rejection of politicizing it (the Druze component) or involving it in Israeli propaganda and elections."

He pointed out that there was a "significant and planned Israeli role" that targeted civil peace in As-Suwayda during July 2025, by arming an outlaw militia to instigate chaos and fabricate a pretext to drag the country into a wide-scale war.

He added that the Syrian government succeeded in thwarting those plans, yet it is still witnessing "persistent Israeli attempts to destabilize the situation in the governorate."

The source confirmed that American mediation contributed to stopping the Israeli shelling during the July 2025 events, which had hindered the Syrian government's intervention to end the confrontations between the Druze and the Bedouins.

He emphasized that Damascus continues to work "with steady steps with our partners in the United States of America and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan to implement the tripartite roadmap for the reintegration of As-Suwayda."

He explained that the implementation of the roadmap is proceeding according to a "Syrian national vision that guarantees the rights of the residents, security, and stability."

The source called on the international community, the United States, and regional countries to assume their responsibilities and pressure Israel to implement the 1974 Disengagement Agreement and prevent its interference in Syrian internal affairs.

The Syrian position came after Netanyahu claimed, on Thursday, during a meeting with members of the Druze community in the town of Yarka in northern Israel, that he had held a phone call with Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa during the As-Suwayda events in July 2025.

Netanyahu alleged that the call was short and sharp, and that his intervention contributed to stopping the killings, speaking of Israeli strikes that targeted Syrian government sites in Damascus.

In what appeared to be an attempt to woo Druze voters, Netanyahu promoted what he called "Israel's commitment to protecting the Druze in Syria."

On September 16, 2025, Syria, Jordan, and the United States approved a joint roadmap to resolve the As-Suwayda crisis and stabilize the Syrian south, during a meeting held in Damascus.

The roadmap included steps to rebuild trust, enhance community reconciliation, investigate violations and hold perpetrators accountable, ensure the delivery of humanitarian aid, and restore basic services.

It also stipulated securing the movement of citizens on the Damascus-As-Suwayda road and working to end foreign interference, while emphasizing the unity of Syrian territory and state sovereignty.

The crisis dates back to July 2025, when confrontations erupted between Druze groups and Bedouin tribes in As-Suwayda, before expanding and witnessing the intervention of government forces and Israeli raids that targeted sites in the governorate and Damascus.

On May 31, 1974, Syria and Israel signed the Disengagement Agreement, under which the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) was established to oversee the ceasefire and the separation zone between the two sides.