The Syrian transitional government in Damascus is involved in US-backed talks with the Druze leadership in Sweida, according to Agence France-Presse reports on Tuesday.
Reports on the talks were shared in Arabic media in the region, including The New Arab, and by Israel’s public broadcaster KAN News. While some reports say the talks are only about an exchange of prisoners, the KAN report indicates that it may involve a larger deal that would see accommodation between Sweida and Damascus.
The Druze in Sweida are led by Hikmat al-Hijri, while the government in Damascus is led by Ahmed al-Sharaa. Sharaa came to power in December 2024 when the Assad regime fell. Over the last year, there have been several clashes between the new government in Damascus and the Druze in Sweida. Israel has also intervened to support the Druze.
According to sources who spoke to AFP, "there are currently negotiations mediated by the United States between Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri and the Damascus government.”
The goal of the talks is to help enable an exchange of prisoners and detainees held by both sides. The Druze have their own security forces, which they call a National Guard, in Sweida, and they have controlled a small region in southern Syria since the clashes in July.
Over the last six months, some voices in Sweida have called for independence for the Druze area. Israel has backed the Druze in Syria and carried out airstrikes on Damascus to prevent attacks on the minority group.
The US has previously been involved in talks regarding Sweida. In September, the US-backed talks linked to Jordan and Syria aimed at restoring security in Sweida, according to a report at Al Jazeera at the time. Sweida in Syria is near the Jordanian border. Jordan has carried out airstrikes on drug smugglers in southern Syria near Sweida.
Talks relate to 60 Damascus people and 30 Sweida Druze
According to the report at The New Arab, the current talks relate to 60 people held by the government in Damascus and 30 people held in Sweida. Since the clashes in July and the Israeli strikes, there has been a fragile ceasefire. However, there have still been some clashes. In addition, there have been challenges in getting aid into Swieda.
KAN's report says that “the talks between the parties are aimed at bringing about a security settlement in the region and ending tensions. Syria is counting on American mediation to keep Israel out of the picture - and prevent it from intervening in the form of attacks on its territory.”
The report also said that the talks could also move toward granting Sweida “extensive security and administrative powers to the locals in Sweida…this is in exchange for the local Druze leadership giving up its pursuit of independence and maintaining the province under the central government in Damascus.”
However, it appears there are other issues involved. There are those in Sweida who want to sideline Hijri, who is seen as a hardliner, and come to an agreement with Damascus.
KAN's report says that “according to the Syrian source, the negotiations are indeed being conducted under American auspices and are intended to bring about a situation where only internal security forces will be deployed in a province without an army. [The source] also said that the regime in Damascus is not interested in introducing non-Sweida forces without receiving a guarantee from Israel that it will not intervene or act against the Syrian regime.”
Israel, Syria, and the US held trilateral talks in January focused on reducing tensions between Israel and Syria.
“Under the auspices of the United States, senior Israeli and Syrian officials met in Paris. President Donald J. Trump’s leadership in the Middle East enabled productive discussions, centered on respect for Syria’s sovereignty and stability, Israel’s security, and prosperity for both countries,” the US State Department said at the time.
The US added that “both Sides have decided to establish a joint fusion mechanism, a dedicated communication cell, to facilitate immediate and ongoing coordination on their intelligence sharing, military de-escalation, diplomatic engagement, and commercial opportunities under the supervision of the United States.”
The talks in early January came a week before Damascus launched an offensive against the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces.
This eventually led to a deal on January 29, where the SDF agreed to integrate with the new Syrian security forces backed by Damascus. The SDF gave up most of eastern Syria.
The US has also left bases in Syria in the last month. For instance, the US left al-Tanf Garrison in southern Syria, which is near the Jordanian border and 130 miles north of Sweida.
These major changes on the ground have led to Damascus consolidating control over most of Syria. It’s plausible that the US would like to see Sweida come to an agreement similar to the SDF agreement and also see Israel-Syria tensions reduced. To reach that agreement, an initial prisoner deal may be necessary.
In Damascus, there is increased focus on Sweida now. There is also a focus on stabilizing Daraa. Recently, a local leader named Ahmed al-Auda surrendered to Syria’s security forces after a security incident.