Druze leader Laith al-Balous clarifies to Aljazera tv channle the current events and the Druze community's stance toward the Syrian government.
He emphasizes that certain individuals are playing a political game in the name of the entire sect, inciting division and calls for separation.
Al-Balous reaffirms his support for the Syrian government, which he considers to be representative of the hopes and aspirations of the Syrian people. He firmly rejects Israeli intervention and all calls for foreign interference in Syria.
The Druze in Syria are divided into three main groups:
- One follows Sheikh Al-Hinawi (who supports the new government),
- and another follows Laith Al-Balaous (also supportive of the new government). Laith is the son of Wahid Al-Balaous, who was assassinated by the Assad regime for opposing it.
- The third group is led by Hikmat Al-Hijri. This faction is composed of remnants of the Assad regime, outlaws, and sectarian Druze extremists who are militarily, politically, and financially backed by Israel. For some time now, they’ve been openly calling for Israeli protection and have publicly declared their opposition to the new Syrian government, citing ideological and sectarian differences.
This third group has become the dominant force in Suwayda, completely blocking Syrian state institutions from operating in Suwayda.
Even basic services like electricity and water repairs were denied access, which led to a collapse in infrastructure and public services. Theft became rampant, affecting public stadiums, shops, and roads, while kidnappings for ransom increased. This directly led to tensions between the Druze and neighboring Arab tribes, especially after several tribal members were kidnapped along the Damascus–Suwayda highway, the root cause of the conflict.
With Israel issuing threats against the Syrian government and warning it not to approach Suwayda, claiming the Druze are under Israeli protection, the government had been unable to take action for months. As a result, insecurity and chaos spread, pushing the local Bedouin tribes to start defending themselves. They suffered casualties, both fighters and civilians, after Al-Hijri’s forces shelled Bedouin villages with rockets and mortars. The escalation intensified until the Syrian government was eventually forced to intervene to stop the violence.
After the government's attempt to intervene, Al-Hijri’s forces ambushed a military convoy killing everyone in it. They mutilated the bodies and circulated videos filled with sectarian and religious insults directed at the government and Syria’s majority Sunni population, sparking nationwide outrage. In response to this brutal act, the Damascus government decided to resolve the Suwayda situation once and for all: to disarm all factions, leave weapons only in the hands of the state, and treat anyone who refuses to surrender their weapons as an outlaw.
Both Sheikh Al-Hinawi and Laith Al-Balaous expressed full readiness to work with the government , emphasizing the urgent need for the presence of state institutions in Suwayda and the importance of ending the ongoing security chaos. In contrast, Al-Hijri rejected this approach, insisting that he should govern the region himself with his forces, without the need for government involvement.
Testimony of Turkish aid worker Ali Rıza Topkan who was detained by Egyptian security forces because he wanted to deliver aid to #Gaza. #Egypt#Turkey
I went to Cairo with my family to help Gaza. To provide aid to the wounded there, especially those in need. Our intention was to provide financial and food support, to chat with them, to be with them and to boost their morale.
But nothing went as planned…
Immediately after completing the passport procedures, the Egyptian police detained me. Before I knew what was happening, they asked for my phone. At that moment, it dawned on me, if I can't tell anyone, I'll be lost here.
I quickly sent a message to a translator friend of mine living in Egypt: “I have been arrested, please notify my family.”
A few seconds after I sent the message, my phone was taken away and I never got it back.
I later learned that that brother of ours had delivered my message to Eyyüp Yaşar from Türkiye.
And in this way, news about my arrest spread in Türkiye. But my brother paid a heavy price for this…
They raided his house at 12 o'clock at night. They put a sack over his head and took him away in front of his wife and children. They tortured him in the dungeon and electrocuted him.
There is currently serious damage to his kneecaps and feet. His only crime was helping me!
I was taken in for questioning.
No food, no water, no sleep for 48 hours.
Constantly on your feet, threatening, insulting, pressuring.
Their questions were always the same:
— Why are you helping Gaza?
— How many times have you been abroad?
— Why Gaza?
And the threat:
“We will kill you here. No one will find your bodies.”
There was no news from my children.
I was taken to a closed, windowless area in the dungeon.
Then I heard the crying of my children…
I realised they were close.
I begged a woman cleaning through the doorway: "Please bring food to my children. They are hungry. Please."
I gave him some money. He accepted. He came at midnight and took me to my children…
I will never forget the sight I saw:
My wife and children in a dark room of 4 square meters: Zeynep, Maryam, Abu Bakr, Aqsa. They fell asleep, exhausted from hunger.
I kissed and hugged my children…
I had brought cake. I gave it to them. They ate it like they were attacking each other.
They have been open for days…
They were living on the ground, in filth.
No hygiene. No cleaning. They would eat again whatever was spilled on the floor. Abdominal pain and diarrhea had begun…
The Egyptian police insulted my wife in the most serious way. I leave them to Allah.
There we were given only one piece of bread a day. But there were pieces of stone in it.
I didn't eat a single bite for 4 days. Only water. I couldn't eat when my children were hungry.
I prayed to my Lord: “Oh Allah, don't make my children pay the price for this.
On the one hand I was reading the Quran. On the other hand I was praying. But now I had acceptance inside me:
We won't be able to get out of here. My children will slowly get sick and we will silently perish here.
But Allah made a way…
Thanks to our brothers who are our voice in Türkiye.
A strong public opinion has formed.
Our state has taken action.
We later learned that we were released upon the instructions of our Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Hakan Fidan.
We owe this freedom first to Allah, then to our brothers, and then to our state.
There I realised what a blessing it was for my children to even see my family.
And let me also say this:
The only reason I was there was Gaza.
If all this is a crime,
I will continue to commit this crime.
Because helping Gaza is not a crime, it is an honour.
Today, there are still brothers in Egypt who are in my place, rotting in the same dungeons. We left, but the place was still full.
My wife Yara looked up at the torn ceiling of our tent and said to me:
"The world has forgotten us, Mohammed... No one asks anymore, no voices reach us."
I looked at her, then at our children sleeping beside us, and replied softly:
"No… the world hasn't forgotten. Maybe it's tired, maybe it's late, but there are still hearts that care."
She shook her head and asked:
"So there’s still hope?"
I said:
"As long as I’m breathing, I’ll keep writing, shouting, and speaking… until our voice is heard."
Then I picked up my phone…
And wrote this tweet:
"We are here… living despite hunger, dreaming under the bombs, and believing there are still hearts in this world beating for us."
The Syrian Ministry of Interior has announced the arrest of Major General Mowaffaq Nazir Haidar, former commander of the Third Armored Division in the Assad regime army, during a security operation in the city of Latakia.
Haidar was notorious for committing war crimes and torturing Syrians.
There are reports that he appeared in a video torturing a Syrian and forcing him to chant “There is no god but Bashar al-Assad.”
#Syria
The first moments of the Israeli massacre in Khan Younis:
More than 45 killed and hundreds injured brought to Nasser Medical Complex after Israeli occupation forces attacked civilians waiting for aid this morning at the Tahlia roundabout in Khan Younis this morning.
The first moments of the Israeli massacre in Khan Younis:
More than 45 killed and hundreds injured brought to Nasser Medical Complex after Israeli occupation forces attacked civilians waiting for aid this morning at the Tahlia roundabout in Khan Younis this morning.