Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa vowed Sunday that the fight to reunify his war-torn country must be achieved through dialogue, not bloodshed, while accusing Israel of fueling unrest in the south. His remarks came as hundreds protested in Sweida over recent Druze-Bedouin clashes and called for self-determination in the Druze-majority province.
Issued on: 17/08/2025 -
By: FRANCE 24
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa has said the battle to unify his country after years of civil war "should not be with blood", rejecting any partition and accusing Israel of meddling in the south.
His remarks, released by state TV on Sunday, came as hundreds demonstrated in south Syria's Sweida province, denouncing sectarian violence last month and calling for the right to self-determination for the Druze-majority province.
"We still have another battle ahead of us to unify Syria, and it should not be with blood and military force... it should be through some kind of understanding because Syria is tired of war," Sharaa said during a dialogue session involving notables from the northwest province of Idlib and other senior officials.
"I do not see Syria as at risk of division. Some people desire a process of dividing Syria and trying to establish cantons... this matter is impossible," he said according to a recording of the meeting, distributed overnight by state media.
"Some parties seek to gain power through regional power, Israel or others. This is also extremely difficult and cannot be implemented," he said.
At the protest in Sweida, some demonstrators waved the Israeli flag and called for self-determination for the region.
FRANCE 24 report in Sweida: Tens of thousands displaced since clashes began
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Syrian authorities have said their forces intervened to stop the clashes, but witnesses, Druze factions and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights have accused them of siding with the Bedouin and committing abuses against the Druze, including summary executions.
Sharaa said that Sweida "witnessed many violations from all sides... some members of the security forces and army in Syria also carried out some violations".
The state is required "to hold all perpetrators of violations to account", whatever their affiliation, he added.
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"Israel is intervening directly in Sweida, seeking to implement policies aimed at weakening the state in general or finding excuses to interfere in ongoing policies in the southern region," Sharaa said.
Israel, which has its own Druze community, has said it has acted to defend the minority group as well as enforce its demands for the demilitarisation of southern Syria.
Syria's new authorities are also in talks with a semi-autonomous Kurdish administration that runs swathes of the country's north and northeast and has called for decentralisation, which Damascus has rejected.
Implementation of a March 10 deal on integrating the Kurds' semi-autonomous civil and military institutions into the state has been held up by differences between the parties.
"We are now discussing the mechanisms for implementation" of the deal, Sharaa said.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP)
Smoldering Syria: Ongoing Security Crisis Undermines the Country’s Future
The fall of Bashar al-Assad in Syria last December was so swift and surreal that the initial euphoria lingered both inside and outside the country despite public unrest turning to brutal arrests turning to executions turning to mass murder. These actions of the new Syrian authorities have been described either as efforts to “restore order” or “purges” involving war crimes, depending on the observer. The situation in Syria continues to develop rapidly and remains a subject of international interest.
The new Syrian government, led by Ahmad al-Sharaa, is acutely aware of the crucial nature of the current juncture and the threats it brings to the emergent state structure. In a bid to garner support from regional and Western powers, Damascus has pursued extensive diplomatic efforts. The United States, Germany, and France as well as key Arab states have already expressed interest in the reinvented Syria. High-level foreign delegations have paid numerous visits to Syria this year to hold talks on economic cooperation and discuss the possibility of lifting sanctions. Syrian leaders view these international contacts as a pivotal opportunity to attain broad foreign recognition and bolster their domestic legitimacy.
The country’s famed social and religious diversity has always been a challenge for Damascus. Under Bashar al-Assad, the Alawites were given a privileged position, while the Druze and the Kurds gained de facto autonomy. Although the opposition mainly consisted of Sunnis – the predominant majority of the Syrian population – it would be a mistake to equate the two, as plenty of Sunnis attempted to continue with their lives as normal within the government-controlled areas, served in the Syrian army and worked in state institutions. The December coup sparked a process of revising the status quo for all of these groups.
Newly formed security units started targeting Alawites, who were perceived as Bashar al-Assad’s main base of support and thus a potential threat. The Christians also faced persecution from jihadists hardened in armed clashes and ideological training for years. These communities became easy targets as they surrendered their areas to the new government and lacked external support.
In the summer, the authorities attempted similar actions against the Druze population in southern Syria. Unlike the Alawites and Christians, the Druze proved to be more unified, quicker to react, and, most importantly, received support from Israel, including both military action and media assistance. While extrajudicial killings of Christians and Alawites were largely silenced or framed as acts of just revenge, violent attacks in Suwayda exposed widespread abuse by the so-called General Security Forces.
Entire Druze families with no links to armed resistance were murdered solely because of their ethnicity. Executions of Druze with foreign citizenship, such as American Hossam Saraya and French citizen Firas Abu Latif, drew attention of the international media to the situation in southern Syria.
The events in Suwayda, especially the deaths of Syrians with foreign passports, raised serious concerns among those previously eager to cooperate with the new Syrian government. While the U.S. and France might have overlooked the persecution of Alawites, they cannot treat the killing of their citizens so lightly. One of the main conditions for full cooperation and Western investment in Syria is the assurance of security and stability, which Damascus can not or will not provide. In case of further escalation of internal turmoil Syria risks becoming another failed state and effectively losing any hopes for external investments.
Despite the hasty efforts by the new Syrian government, it continues to struggle to unify the plethora of unruly armed factions and curb abuses by security forces, as evidenced by demographic trends. Tens of thousands have left Syria since early 2025, including those who had returned after years abroad hoping for changes under the new leadership. This indicates a loss of support even among the Sunni majority, the core demographic of the Al-Sharaa government.
The ongoing unrest in Syria is bound to sour the attitude of Western leaders, especially those who, at the end of 2024, saw potential for cooperation. The U.S. and France will need to carefully analyze developments to avoid being associated with increasing violence and lack of security for their citizens. Furthermore, the aggression against the Druze has alarmed Israel, a key U.S. ally in the region, meaning that any rapprochement with Damascus will be closely monitored by the Israelis. Given the presence of Druze communities in both Israel and the United States, it is unlikely that normalization of ties with the new Syrian government will be met with unanimous welcome.
