Events in al-Suwayda': The Perspective of Liwa al-Jabal

Nearly a month since the outbreak of major fighting within the primarily Druze province of al-Suwayda’ and the subsequent U.S.-brokered ‘ceasefire’, it is notable how many supporters of the Syrian government continue to frame the conflict as one against ‘al-Hijri’s militia/militias/gangs’ (referring to Hikmat al-Hijri, one of the three most senior Druze spiritual leaders in Syria). The tweet below (highlighted by secular Syrian commentator Rami Jarrah) is an example of this kind of messaging:

The framing may sound like convenient messaging that tries to avoid sectarian language against the Druze, but in fact it drums up support for continued aggressive action against al-Suwayda’ by framing military action and harsh measures as a justified war against outlaws and ‘Israeli proxies’. Besides the harmful effect of this framing, it is also simply inaccurate, downplaying or omitting the mobilisation of other Druze factions that do not declare themselves followers of al-Hijri but were in fact willing to engage with the government prior to these latest events, with Liwa al-Jabal being one prominent example.