Veteran Lebanese Druze leader Walid Jumblatt on Thursday criticized Israel for fueling unrest in southern Syria by manipulating members of the Druze community under the pretext of protection, warning that the move poses a threat to regional security.
Speaking to Al Arabiya, Jumblatt said Israel was stoking conflict in Syria’s Suwayda province as part of a broader agenda to destabilize the country and advance its own interests.
“This is part of Israel’s conspiracy. Israel uses some Druze to stir unrest in Syria under the guise of protection,” said Jumblatt, former head of the Progressive Socialist Party. “Israel protects no one. It exploits everyone to serve its interests and threaten the security of Arab states.”
He underscored the need for a political and peaceful resolution in Suwayda under the umbrella of the Syrian state, adding that contacts were ongoing with national figures in Suwayda and the Syrian government to restore security.
Jumblatt warned that calls for international protection by Druze factions in Suwayda had turned them into “a political tool in Israel’s hands.”
“Suwayda is an integral part of Syria,” he said. “We must reach a political solution that protects the province’s Arab identity and keeps it within Syria’s national unity.”
Jumblatt also criticized failed attempts to centralize Druze leadership under religious figure Hikmat al-Hijri and said armed elements should be integrated into the Syrian military and security institutions through coordination with Damascus.
Israel conducted multiple airstrikes on Tuesday targeting Syrian military positions, the Defense Ministry, and areas near the presidential palace in Damascus.
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa on Thursday also accused Israel of trying to provoke a broader conflict but vowed that Syria would not be drawn into war.
Clashes between Bedouin tribes and Druze civilians have escalated in recent days, centered on the Druze-majority city of Suwayda, with Syrian government troops deployed to the area.
