Al-Sharaa’s speech on Sweida, recent agreement

 In today’s televised speech, Ahmed Al-Sharaa acknowledged that the movement of tribal fighters toward Sweida was instigated by his government.

Despite admitting the severity of the events, Al-Sharaa completely ignored in his speech any mention of violations committed by the Transitional Government forces during the military operations, nor did he address any intention to hold those responsible accountable or to form a fact-finding committee to investigate the massacres that Sweida witnessed, which resulted in the deaths of hundreds of civilians, including women, children, and elders.

Al-Sharaa said that “the Syrian state managed to calm the situation despite its difficulty,” directing accusations at “Israeli intervention,” which he described as pushing the country into “a dangerous stage threatening its stability,” through “targeting the south and government institutions in Damascus,” without providing details or evidence.

He also announced that his government received mediations from the United States and several Arab countries aimed at containing the escalation, and praised the positions of some international powers that rejected the Israeli bombardment, including Russia, China, and the European Union, while commending Washington’s stance “for supporting Syria in these difficult circumstances.”

Al-Sharaa affirmed that “the Syrian state alone is capable of imposing sovereignty and enforcing the law,” warning against “turning Sweida into a tool for foreign conflicts,” and accusing some internal parties of “seeking external backing.”

In a notable remark, he called to “not hold the Druze community accountable for the actions of a small group,” emphasizing that Sweida “remains an integral part of the Syrian state, and its people stand against division projects.”

However, his speech did not address the broad popular demands inside Sweida, nor did it include any clear commitment to hold accountable those responsible for targeting civilians, amid ongoing attacks on the city and its surroundings, and worsening conditions for the population amid a lack of protection and accountability.

A-H 

ANHA