Tarif Urges Congress to Classify Suwayda Events as “War Crimes”

In a video message shown to members of Congress and broadcast on Tuesday evening, February 11, 2026, Tarif said the “crimes” committed in Suwayda do not expire with time and require international intervention under international legislation.

He called for a comprehensive, actionable program to protect the Druze, Alawites, Kurds, and other “persecuted sects,” as he described them.

He also called for opening a safe, service-based humanitarian corridor under international monitoring, linking Suwayda residents to Israeli Druze for purely humanitarian purposes, he said. This would include transporting aid and patients and enabling family reunification.

Tarif said residents’ suffering in Suwayda is worsening due to what he described as “isolation,” their near total disconnection from the outside world, and deprivation of basic necessities such as food and medicine.

Community and military bodies with a Druze character accuse the Syrian government of imposing a military and civilian siege on Suwayda. The government denies this, saying it allows all goods and supplies to enter Suwayda without obstruction.

On more than one occasion, the government has announced that it has provided, or facilitated the entry of, essential materials into Suwayda, especially flour.

Meanwhile, Suwayda residents complain of a sharp rise in the prices of basic goods, most notably food and fuel, as monitored by Enab Baladi.

These goods enter through the al-Matouna checkpoint in the Suwayda countryside, which is controlled by the government. Opposite it is the Umm al-Zaytoun checkpoint, controlled by the National Guard, a military body formed from factions operating in the governorate, with the blessing of Druze spiritual leader Hikmat al-Hijri.

Detainees

On another front, Tarif called for the release of those he described as “forcibly detained” in Syrian government prisons, or by what he called “terrorist factions,” referring to the Syrian Ministry of Defense.

The July 2025 events saw arrests and mutual abductions between the Syrian government and tribal gunmen on one side, and the local factions that control Suwayda on the other.

While the government arrested individuals it said were involved in acts of violence, tribal gunmen also held a number of Druze hostages. This was aimed at swapping them for relatives detained by factions in Suwayda, or for reasons related to ransom payments.

Tarif said Druze detainees’ families have been cut off from any news about them, calling this a “blatant violation” of all international legal and human rights regulations.

Meanwhile, a number of Bedouin residents had previously demanded the disclosure of the fate of their relatives held by local factions in Suwayda, calling on the government to reach an agreement to exchange prisoners and abductees.

Break with Damascus

Suwayda has been in a state of rupture with the central government in Damascus since the July 2025 events, which saw mutual violence between the government and tribes on one side, and local factions on the other.

Druze spiritual leader al-Hijri has repeatedly hinted at separation from the Syrian state, calling for what he describes as the “right to self determination” and Druze self rule in Suwayda.

Al-Hijri stresses a complete break with the government in Damascus, which he describes as a “terrorist authority.”

For his part, Tarif said the spiritual leadership’s demand for the “right to determine their fate and choose their direction” is an “inherent right” guaranteed by international charters for any people threatened by persecution and abuse, when the existing state is unable to protect them.

Crisis in Suwayda

Signs of the crisis in Suwayda began to emerge in the early days following the fall of the former regime in December 2024, when the new administration sought to integrate factions into the state, but the process stalled due to a lack of consensus among the parties.

The crisis reached its peak in July 2025, when the Syrian army attempted to enter the city, saying it was intervening to break up clashes that erupted between the Druze community, which makes up the majority of the governorate, and Bedouin residents.

The government intervention was accompanied by violations against the city’s residents from the Druze community, leading to a broad outbreak of clashes. Israel then entered the scene, repeatedly claiming it would protect Druze in Syria on the grounds of kinship ties. The situation later escalated into strikes on the capital Damascus, in addition to targeting army forces that had entered the city center.

Israeli strikes led Syrian government forces to withdraw from Suwayda city and reposition in the western countryside, where they took control of more than 30 villages.

However, the withdrawal did not end the crisis. It grew more complex after local factions committed violations against Bedouin residents in retaliation, prompting tribal mobilizations to support Suwayda’s Bedouin tribes. As a result, clashes and abuses continued on both sides.

[Source: Enab Baladi English]