Druze Leader Calls for International Probe into Syria Clashes

A prominent spiritual leader of Syria's Druze community, Sheikh Hikmat Al-Hijri, has called for an international probe into last month's violent clashes in southern Syria's Sweida province, which resulted in hundreds of deaths.

Expressing gratitude to US President Donald Trump, Israel, and Gulf Arab nations, Al-Hijri emphasized their role in mitigating the violence through what he termed as 'humanitarian intervention'. The clashes, sparked in July, involved Druze militias against Sunni Bedouin tribes, with government forces eventually siding with the latter.

Al-Hijri pushed for international oversight and justice for perpetrators, while speaking at a conference advocating for a new decentralized Syrian state. Government criticism followed, accusing some conference attendees of secessionist intentions, halting plans for future negotiations in Paris with the SDF.

(With inputs from agencies.)