October 24, 2026
The US special presidential envoy to Syria and Iraq, Tom Burke, settled the controversy over Washington’s position on the sheikh of the Druze Druze mind, Hikmat al-Hijri, confirming that he did not receive any American support, and warning of the repercussions of exploiting what he described as “the illusion of Israeli and American support” in Suwayda Governorate.
In statements he made during a podcast broadcast on Friday on the “X” platform, Barak explained that the main source of concern in Suwayda “is not Israel, but rather a certain Druze sheikh who is exploiting the illusion of Israeli support and some agreement with the United States to persecute other Druze,” in an implicit reference to Al-Hijri, and stressed that insinuations of American support for him are “completely wrong,” in one of the most clear American positions regarding the internal conflict in the governorate.
These statements coincide with continued tension in Suwayda, located in southern Syria, in parallel with escalating demands from some local parties to obtain Israeli protection.
In a related context, the American envoy pointed out that the region extending between Suwayda and Daraa is a major center for manufacturing the drug Captagon, stressing that the drug and weapons trade represents a major element in the complexity of the security scene in southern Syria.
Barak touched on the nature of the relationship between Israel and the Druze in the southern and Golan regions, noting that it goes beyond the political aspect, in light of the growing cross-border arms smuggling activities, which increases the sensitivity of the situation.
Regarding the official position in Damascus, Barak believed that the Syrian authorities dealt with extreme caution with the Israeli movements south, to avoid the situation sliding towards a broader confrontation.
It is noteworthy that the Suwayda Governorate had previously witnessed armed clashes between Druze groups and others affiliated with the tribes, which ended with a fragile truce agreement being reached amid mutual accusations of violating it and continued field tension.
Barak’s statements come to impose a new equation on the scene in Suwayda, based on lifting the American political cover on Al-Hijri, at a time when some local forces’ bets on external intervention are increasing amid the complexities of the security scene in southern Syria.
