Druze Leaders Call on UN To Probe Massacres in Syria’s As-Suwayda Province
Israel’s Druze leadership has petitioned the United Nations to launch an international inquiry into what it calls systematic atrocities against Druze civilians in Syria’s As-Suwayda province.
In a formal submission to the UN Commission of Inquiry on Syria, the Supreme Druze Religious Council, led by Muwaffaq Tarif, accused Syrian and jihadist forces of orchestrating a campaign of extermination against the Druze minority. The appeal—drafted by attorneys Yael Vias Gvirsman and Asem Hamed—details massacres, kidnappings, torture, sexual violence, and mass displacement since July 2025.
The council’s Situation Room in Julis documented evidence showing that more than 2,000 Druze have been killed, around 8,000 wounded, and roughly 600 abducted or missing. It reported that at least 45 villages were attacked, 25 of them destroyed, and 220,000 residents driven from their homes. The report links these assaults to jihadist groups such as Islamic State and Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham, allegedly acting in coordination with forces under the Syrian Interim Government.
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According to the council’s legal analysis, the violence constitutes war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide. The document names senior Syrian officials, including Interim Head of State Ahmed al-Sharaa—also known as Al-Julani—as responsible for authorizing or concealing attacks disguised as counterterrorism operations. It accuses the government of imposing a siege on As-Suwayda, blocking access to food, medicine, and aid.
Attorney Gvirsman, director of the International Criminal and Humanitarian Law Clinic at Reichman University, said the evidence demonstrates “a deliberate and coordinated campaign of extermination and persecution.” Hamed added that the findings were verified through survivor testimony and forensic review.
The appeal urges the UN to preserve evidence, investigate command responsibility, and establish humanitarian corridors. It also calls for referral to international tribunals if Damascus refuses to act. Sheikh Tarif said the petition was filed out of “an urgent need to draw global attention to the near-destruction of the Druze community in Syria.”
The council said violence in As-Suwayda has continued through October, warning that the international community’s silence risks enabling the eradication of one of the region’s oldest religious minorities.
