Sheikh Tarif intensifies diplomatic efforts for Sweida

Sheikh Mowafaq Tarif, the spiritual leader of the Druze community, continued his political and diplomatic activities to present the situation in Sweida before the international community. He received a delegation from the British Parliament, discussing recent developments and stressing the importance of conveying an accurate picture to the public in the United Kingdom.

In the same context, Sheikh Tarif met with the Russian Ambassador to Israel, Anatoly Viktorov, reviewing the sequence of events since the "terrorist" attack that targeted the governorate and its villages on July 13 until today. He also sent an official message to the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding the latest developments.

He also met with the German Ambassador, urging effective European action on the Syrian file. He called for the urgent opening of the hostage issue and facilitation of humanitarian aid entry to Sweida without delay.

These meetings coincided with a denial from Sheikh Tarif’s official page of a circulated report claiming a phone call between him and Sheikh Hikmat al-Hajri, in which the latter was allegedly informed of the impossibility of opening a humanitarian corridor to Sweida. The page confirmed the report was false, noting that Sheikh Tarif was engaged in a series of meetings with the British parliamentary delegation and the Russian and German ambassadors.

Throughout his meetings, Sheikh Tarif emphasized several priorities, most notably the comprehensive enforcement of the ceasefire, opening a safe corridor with American or international guarantees to deliver aid, lifting the siege imposed on the governorate, working towards the release of hostages, the return of displaced persons to their villages, repairing damaged towns, compensating the affected families, and demanding an independent international investigation into what he described as the genocide crimes witnessed in Sweida.