Druze sources in the Syrian city of Suwayda confirmed to Asharq Al-Awsat that a great state of dissatisfaction was spreading among the popular circles after the “National Guard” of Sheikh Hikmat Al-Hijri attacked on the night of Thursday - Friday, the home of Atef Heneidi, who is called “the Pasha” in the governorate, and then kidnapped and “exiled” him, on Friday morning, to Damascus, due to his issuing a statement in which he strongly criticized Al-Hijri’s statements, in which he said that the Druze “share the faith with the state.” Israel,” and that they are “an integral part of it.”
However, the sources, who preferred to remain anonymous due to the current security situation, told Asharq Al-Awsat that popular criticism of the incident was taking place “in whispers and in closed rooms, and the governorate did not witness movements on the ground,” in rejection of what happened, while the governor of Suwayda, Mustafa Al-Bakour, called on “the notables and wise men in the governorate” to raise their voices and reject what is happening.
The Henedi family issued a statement published by pages concerned with Suwayda news, in which they affirmed that “the attack on the family home, the shooting and bombing, and the intimidation of women and children is a prescribed criminal crime that we will not tolerate now or in the future by all available legal means,” denouncing “the armed assault and uncivilized response to any opinion, regardless of whether it is support, rejection, or reservation.”
The statement considered, “The attack and deportation of Atef Heneidi is a dangerous and reprehensible precedent that we cannot accept as a family, neither for Atef nor for anyone else.”
The family said in the statement: “We place these aforementioned items in the custody of the people of the law, its sponsors, society and its factions, to stand up to their responsibilities in protecting this fabric and the rule of law and institutions, and so that such actions are not repeated,” stressing that “accountability is a right and a duty, and must extend to all crimes that occurred against the people and the nation in July 2025 and before and after.”
On the other hand, a statement on behalf of “the people of the town of Al-Majdal,” from which Huneidi hails, spread on social media, stating that “after consultation between the people of the town and the stakeholders, it was decided to remove him (Atef Huneidi) from Al-Majdal, in a way that preserves the town’s security, stability, and the dignity of its people.”
But Druze sources in Suwayda told Asharq Al-Awsat that the statement was issued by the National Guard groups controlling the town of Al-Majdal.
In contrast to the silence that dominates the street in Suwayda, activists on social media found an outlet to express their positions on what happened.
Dr. Fayez Quntar, in a post on his Facebook page on Saturday, considered that “kidnapping Atef Huneidi and pushing him out of his home and the home of his ancestors puts Suwayda in danger of division, and the people of the Mountain will not accept the suppression of freedoms, the gagging of mouths, and all this arbitrariness... Enough is enough,” noting that “these are the features of the promised state of Bashan, including suppression, kidnapping, confiscation of freedoms, and monopolization of Suwayda’s decisions and the future of its children.”
In turn, activist Osama Al-Halabi confirmed in his post, “The authentic national voices in the mountain will not stop, but will become louder and louder... because the original does not defeat temporary normalization, immediate interests, and illusions.”
Not fleeting
On Friday night - Saturday, the Governor of Suwayda, Mustafa Al-Bakour, issued a statement published on his Telegram account, in which he considered that “the storming of Huneidi’s house and guest house, and his subsequent arrest and deportation from Suwayda at the hands of outlaw groups, cannot be treated as a passing incident that can be tolerated, or dealt with as if it were a normal matter.”
Al-Bakour warned of “the danger of these actions being repeated until people become accustomed to them. Silence about transgression today may make it a custom tomorrow, and whoever believes that the issue does not concern him because it happened to someone else, must ask himself: Who can guarantee that his house, guest house, or one of his children will not come tomorrow?”
He added: “We do not call for fighting, nor for revenge, nor for confronting weapons with weapons, but not calling for violence does not mean accepting humiliation or remaining silent about transgression, and there is a big difference between wisdom and submission, between concern for civil peace and fear becoming a justification for silence.”
Al-Bakour explained, addressing the people of Suwayda: “The prestige of society is not created by uncontrolled weapons, but rather by the people’s position when they say with one voice: No one is above society, no one is above the law, and no group has the right to appoint itself as a judge, a jailer, and a decision maker about the fate of the people.” Therefore, what is required, according to Al-Bakour, is “a clear social and civil position, from reasonable people, notables, people of speech, and everyone who fears for the future of As-Suwayda, rejecting the storming of homes and guest houses, arresting, deporting, and imposing opinions by force of arms, regardless of the name of the perpetrator and whatever the name of the target.”
A source in the city of Suwayda stated that Al-Bakour’s statement had “a good effect, but the decision (to resolve the Suwayda crisis) is in the hands of the regional countries and is subject to understandings, and the people have no influence on this file and decision.”
As Hezbollah continued its campaign against the Lebanese authority, a ministerial source considered that “this matter is not new,” questioning the party’s deafening silence regarding the fall of Ali Al-Taher, after an Iranian-American deal was favored.
The source told Asharq Al-Awsat: “It is unfortunate that this discourse continues to hold the authority responsible, while everyone knows who dragged the country into this war, and to serve whom he did so.”
While the party did not issue any clear position on the fall of “Ali Al-Taher,” the source asked: “Why did they not defend Ali Al-Taher?” Why don't they tell the truth to their environment about what actually happened there, instead of this complete silence? He added: “How did the speech move from emphasizing the importance of Ali Al-Taher, and the threats and intimidation that accompanied that, to talking about her after her fall as if she was not important?”
Israeli escalation in the south and the Bekaa
The death toll from the Israeli escalation, which was recorded on Friday evening, rose to 4 people and 32 others were injured in Israeli raids that targeted areas in southern Lebanon, according to what the Lebanese Ministry of Health announced today, after the initial toll spoke of 3 dead and 23 wounded.
Israel launched raids on 7 villages in southern and eastern Lebanon, especially in the Nabatieh region, and the raids in the town of Mifdoun resulted in the death of an 18-year-old young woman.
On the other hand, the Israeli army announced that it launched raids, on Friday night, on Hezbollah members and infrastructure, in response to the launch of a march towards its forces in southern Lebanon. He said that the raids targeted “depots of combat weapons” that were to be used against his forces and the citizens of Israel, adding that the strikes aimed to remove an “immediate threat.”
On Saturday, an Israeli drone flight was recorded over Beirut and the southern suburbs at low altitude, while Israeli aircraft launched two successive raids on the town of Mansouri, south of Tyre, targeting a number of homes. The Israeli forces also carried out several bombings on the outskirts of the town, including detonating a barrel containing powerful explosives whose echoes were heard in the surrounding villages. A drone transported explosive materials and dropped them on the town’s homes, according to the National News Agency.
In the afternoon, Al-Wataniya reported that the Israeli army carried out massive bombings in the town of Beni Hayyan in the Marjayoun district, and video clips spread showing the moment of the explosions, with smoke rising from vast areas in the area.
Hezbollah escalates against the government
In addition, Hezbollah escalated its tone towards the Lebanese authority, considering that the continuation of the Israeli aggression proves the failure of the options adopted by the state in dealing with Israel.
The party said, in a statement on Saturday, “The Israeli enemy continues to escalate its aggression and criminality against Lebanon, systematically killing, bombing, destroying and bombing homes and villages in light of absolute international silence, blatant American complicity, and amid the complete absence of the Lebanese authority from assuming its responsibilities.”
He believed that the authority’s continuation of its “wrong choices and its condescending and surrendering approach” only led to “the perpetuation of the occupation and the enemy’s continuation of its aggression and crimes against the Lebanese.”
The party considered that the Israeli aggression constitutes pressure on the Lebanese authority to push it to implement what it described as “agendas” with known goals, warning that its continuation of the negotiating path “gives the enemy a cover to continue its aggression, and gives it more time to achieve its goals and impose its conditions and dictates on Lebanon.”
The party also attacked the direct negotiations and the “Framework Agreement,” considering that the continuation of the occupation and aggression would “defeat” any talk about achievements achieved through this path. He said that the release of some Lebanese prisoners, “important as it is,” cannot be a justification for condoning the continuation of aggression, occupation and killing.
In turn, a member of the Hezbollah bloc, MP Hassan Ezzedine, said that “the political authority in Lebanon has brought the country, with its wrong choices, to a crisis reality,” considering that its bet on the United States to support it politically in confronting Israel “was nothing but an illusion.”
Israel continues its attacks inside Syrian territory, despite the presence of Syrian-Israeli negotiations. On Saturday, a new incursion was recorded in the villages of Al-Asbah and Al-Razaniya in the Quneitra countryside, southwestern Syria, accompanied by raids on homes and carrying out searches, according to the official Syrian Al-Ikhbariya channel.
Sources in Damascus said that Israel “is continuing its attacks and incursions based on its security doctrine by establishing security belts within countries with which it does not have peace agreements (Syria and Lebanon) and also for internal electoral calculations.”
Political researcher Abbas Sharifa told Asharq Al-Awsat that “it is not possible to talk about stopping the escalation with the continued Israeli military intervention in Syria,” and “it is not possible to talk about a security agreement without withdrawing from all the points to which the Israeli army advanced after the fall of the Assad regime.” Pointing out that “American pressure on Israel to stop destabilizing Syria has been present since the fall of the Assad regime, and played an important role in defining the limits of Israeli interventions.”
The United States plays the role of a major and direct mediator in security and political negotiations between Syria and Israel. Despite the stumble, the Special Envoy to Syria, Tom Barrack, is making efforts to keep communication channels open, within a joint security coordination mechanism aimed at reducing the escalation.
However, there is “a clear discrepancy between American interests, which are based on the unity of Syrian territory and maintaining its stability, and the interests of Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, which has worked from the beginning to fragmentation by fueling sectarian conflicts and weakening the Syrian state by keeping it under sanctions, and requiring security and sovereign concessions to Israel,” according to researcher Sharifa, who pointed out that “on the other hand, and despite that, Syria declared from the beginning of the liberation that it would not pose a threat to its neighbors, including Israel, but as it appears, Israel, in its repeated attacks and incursions, stems from internal electoral calculations and the dominance of the October 7 operation complex, which affected its security doctrine.
Sharifa says, “Despite Israeli arrogance, the United States, within a strategic vision to arrange the Middle East region after the defeat of Iranian influence - in which Syria was one of its most important pillars - proceeded with completely lifting sanctions on Syria without taking into account the Israeli demands, which Washington sees as illogical and exaggerated and stemming from the private calculations of the Netanyahu government.”
Fixed rules
In its incursions into southern Syria, Israel crossed the buffer zone and established nine fixed military bases, in parallel with daily incursions, raids and search campaigns in the countryside of Quneitra, Daraa and Damascus, in addition to hostile practices aimed at removing people from their lands and emptying the border areas.
Last July alone witnessed 65 incursions, and 52 incursions in the first 18 days of last August. In addition to 147 arrests since the beginning of this year, 49 of them are still in detention, according to a statement by Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Al-Shaibani at the beginning of this month.
Al-Shaibani believed that the statements of Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz, that his country “will not abandon Mount Hermon, nor the areas it has penetrated,” represent “an explicit declaration to perpetuate the occupation.” He stressed, in return, that “Syria adheres to the option of a diplomatic solution, and engages in negotiations mediated by the United States to stop attacks and arrests, withdraw to the lines before December 8, 2024, and return fully to the dispersal agreement.” The clash of 1974... as well as its adherence to its sovereignty over the occupied Golan, and its right to build a national army.”
Alternative to “Hormuz”...
Against the backdrop of escalation in the region, the convergence of common interests between Damascus and Washington in the search for a “strategic, safe and effective alternative” to the Strait of Hormuz highlights the possibility that it “constitutes the strongest card in curbing the Israeli orgy that will confront the interests of the United States and Europe, which need a strong and stable Syria capable of confronting the dangers of terrorism, drugs, illegal immigration, and organized crime, and capable of protecting energy lines and international transit,” according to researcher Sharifa, who pointed out the existence of “an American strategic interest that does not tolerate tampering.” With the security of Syria,” he said, suggesting that Washington would exert more pressure on Tel Aviv to sign a “security agreement with Syria,” although this is linked to the ability of the United States to control the tone of tension between Ankara and Tel Aviv.
