US Envoy's Remarks on Suwayda Point to Rift With Israel Over Syria Policy

Remarks by US special envoy Tom Barrack on Syria's Suwayda governorate are being read by analysts as a sign that Washington and Israel hold different views on how to handle the country's south. Suwayda, a majority Druze province, is one of the last places in Syria where the government does not have full control.

Barrack spoke on Friday with Australian X personality Mario Nawfal and referred to "a particular Druze sheikh", who is thought to be Hikmat al-Hijri, a leading political and religious figure in the province. A Druze armed group called the National Guard, which is linked to al-Hijri, has been accused of receiving Israeli support and pursuing separatist aims. Barrack appeared to indicate that Washington would rather see Damascus control Suwayda than a group aligned with al-Hijri and tied to Israel.

Many observers took the comments as a firm message to Israel. "Israel backing [al-Hijri] does not equal American backing," said Navvar Saban, a researcher in security and military affairs at the Arab Center for Contemporary Syrian Studies. He added that Washington has prioritised an agreement with Damascus, while Israel keeps its own security demands and relationships. Nanar Hawach, a Syrian analyst who visited Suwayda in September, said Washington is building a partner in Damascus while Israel seems to prefer a Damascus too weak to assert itself in the south.

The split reflects different attitudes toward the new Syrian leadership. Since Bashar al-Assad fell in December 2024, the US has gradually rebuilt ties with Damascus, and President Donald Trump has developed a strong relationship with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa. Trump sees instability in Syria as dangerous for a country trying to recover after 13 years of war. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu takes a very different view. Israel moved into Quneitra governorate and other strategic areas right after al-Assad's government collapsed, and it has since threatened Damascus, bombed the Ministry of Defence, and harassed and arrested Syrians in the south.

Suwayda's residents rose up against the al-Assad government in 2023 over worsening living conditions and kept protesting until its fall. Many celebrated the end of more than five decades of Baathist rule but were wary of the new authorities. That wariness became open opposition after fighting between Bedouin tribes and Druze in July 2025 turned into deadly sectarian killings. Forces reportedly connected to the government joined the Bedouin side, and the casualties were overwhelmingly Druze. Israel attacked what it said were government forces entering Suwayda, and has reportedly courted locals since, including al-Hijri, who strongly opposes Damascus.

Hawach argued that Israel uses Suwayda as leverage against Damascus, offering enough backing to keep the province dependent on Israeli protection but too little to secure its future. He also said that al-Hijri's authority grows when the community feels threatened, so pressure from Damascus tends to strengthen the leadership it hopes to weaken. According to analysts, his support is not universal, and many residents and clerics are looking for a path between central rule and separation.

After the July 2025 violence, the US began talks with the Syrian government in Jordan. A trilateral agreement signed in Amman in September 2025 said Syria would invite an independent international commission to investigate events in Suwayda and that perpetrators would face justice. Major fighting between Damascus and Druze factions has not resumed, but the situation remains deadlocked and many in the province distrust the government.

Hawach said residents feel pressure first in their salaries, their children's exams and the road to the capital, and that trust returns through what the state delivers. Saban said a lasting settlement needs credible accountability for 2025 and guarantees for Druze movement, education and security. "Neither weakening Hijri, nor restoring government institutions alone will rebuild the trust," he said.