[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Clashes were reported earlier this month between armed Druze civilians from Suaidaa and the Hezbollah forces in control of the “Dahr Al Jabal” checkpoint located east of the town of Suaidaa. The Druze civilians attacked the checkpoint and the Hezbollah forces, for reportedly shooting a Druze civilian during an argument between himself and the Hezbollah forces at the checkpoint.
The Suaidaa Druze’s animosity towards Hezbollah can be tracked back to September 2015, when a respected Sheikh and self-proclaimed opposer to the Syrian government, Waheed Balous, was killed by Hezbollah, according to reports in Suiadaa. The Druze of Suaidaa have been divided in terms of their allegiance during the war, and Sheikh Balous spoke openly against the Syrian government, attempting to persuade the community to fight against the Assad regime. Unlike in Suaidaa, the Druze community of Hader in the Quneitra province, adjacent to the Israeli border, stood by the Assad regime and fought against the Syrian opposition along the Israeli-Syrian border side by side with Hezbollah fighters.
Traditionally, the Druze community has been a minority loyal to the Syrian government (in order to maintain freedom of religion and culture), but the unrest among this traditionally unified community indicates the persisting instability in Syria, and the fact that despite the approaching end to the war, Assad will still need to address the grievances of the different communities, or the country will continue to exist in an unrest and instability, an ominous sign for future conflicts within Syria.
(Published here: https://www.soshals.com/politics/10754/)
*Map from Google maps.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
