Syrian President Ahmad Al-Sharaa: Israel Seeks to Divide Syria, But National Unity Will Prevail

Watan-President Al-Sharaa explained that the Syrian state, through all its institutions, intervened to stop the recent internal fighting in Suwayda between armed groups from within the province and surrounding areas, which stemmed from old disputes.

He added:“Instead of helping the state to calm the situation, certain lawless groups emerged, accustomed to chaos, sabotage, and incitement. The leaders of these gangs are the same ones who rejected dialogue for many months, placing their narrow personal interests above the national interest, and committed numerous crimes against civilians in recent days.”

Al-Sharaa accused Israel of broadly targeting civilian and governmental facilities in order to undermine the state’s efforts to contain the tensions,“which greatly complicated the situation and pushed it toward large-scale escalation — were it not for the effective intervention of American, Arab, and Turkish mediators, who saved the region from an unknown fate.”

He continued:“We faced two options: an open war with the Israeli entity — at the expense of our Druze people and the security of Syria and the entire region — or giving the notables and spiritual leaders of the Druze the chance to return to reason and prioritize national interests.”

“We are not afraid of war — we have spent our lives confronting challenges and defending our people — but we chose to prioritize the Syrian people over chaos and destruction. Thus, the best option at this critical stage was a precise decision to protect the unity of our nation and the safety of its people.”

President Al-Sharaa firmly affirmed that those who wronged or harmed the Druze community will be held accountable:“They are under the protection and responsibility of the state, and the law and justice will preserve everyone’s rights without exception.”