Tensions rise among Lebanese Druze amid ongoing clashes in Sweida

Report by Mirna Daou, English adaptation by Mariella Succar

Anger is mounting within Lebanon’s Druze community as videos continue to circulate of abuses against their relatives in the southern Syrian city of Sweida.

In recent days, protests have spread through Druze-majority areas in Lebanon. In some towns, prayers were held for individuals killed in the fighting. 

The Saoufar-Aley highway was partially blocked, and demonstrations swept across various mountain regions. 

Several municipalities imposed nighttime curfews on Syrian nationals amid fears of potential clashes. Footage also emerged showing attacks on Syrians in some areas.

A major gathering was held at the Sharif religious site in Charoun, a location of symbolic significance to the Druze community. The anger seen on the streets also reached the leadership. 

Sheikh Akl of the Druze sect appeared on LBCI, calling for urgent Arab and Islamic intervention to support the people of Sweida and holding the Syrian government responsible for failing to rein in what he called extremists operating behind the cover of the Syrian army.

Progressive Socialist Party leader Taymur Jumblatt also called on Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa to convene a national conference. Jumblatt denounced Israel’s claim that its airstrikes on Syria’s Ministry of Defense in Damascus were aimed at protecting Druze civilians, warning that similar claims were used to justify past conflicts, including Lebanon’s civil war.

Democratic Party leader Talal Arslan accused the Syrian government of being directly involved in the unrest and joined calls for Arab intervention. 

Meanwhile, former minister Wiam Wahhab proposed the formation of a Druze defense force in solidarity with Sweida’s Druze population.

Religious authorities across sects also issued statements on the situation.

As calls for a ceasefire stall, tensions among Lebanon’s Druze remain high, with all eyes fixed on the unfolding developments in Sweida.