A spiritual leader of Syria’s Druze community is calling for an international investigation into clashes in southern Syria last month. The violence in Sweida province involved Druze fighters and pro-government gunmen. Sheikh Hikmat Al-Hijri thanked U.S. President Donald Trump, Israel, and Gulf Arab countries for their support in ending the conflict. Israel intervened with airstrikes to defend the Druze. Al-Hijri is seeking an independent investigation and international observers to protect civilians. His comments followed a conference with Syria’s ethnic and religious groups, which the government criticized.
