Suleiman Abdel Baki, the Security Chief of Sweida, claimed on Wednesday that Druze spiritual leader Hikmat al-Hijri lacks significant support within the province. He also accused Israel of backing forces associated with Hijri to stir unrest in Sweida.
Speaking to Al Arabiya/Al Hadath, Abdel Baki stated that Israel is supporting certain "gangs" in the region to escalate tensions and foster instability.
These accusations arise as Sweida experiences mounting tensions between the "Men of Dignity Movement" and forces allied with Hijri, against a backdrop of escalating disputes between the two factions.
Recently, Sweida has witnessed a military buildup by the "Men of Dignity Movement" amid heightened security tensions, alongside a series of assassinations and kidnappings.
The latest incident involved the disappearance of activist Seif Hatim on Monday. Hatim, who frequently traveled between Sweida and Jaramana in Damascus' outskirts, had previously criticized the security and living conditions in the province via Facebook.
Local sources in Sweida reported that Hatim had been summoned to the security office linked to Hijri's forces earlier and was released before being kidnapped under mysterious circumstances, escalating the city's security tensions further.
Fadi Badria, a prominent social figure formerly associated with Hijri, also revealed a recent assassination attempt against him in a recorded message.
While Badria did not explicitly name those behind the attempts, they followed a dispute with individuals linked to Hijri's "National Guard" over the seizure of a family home in Sweida.
Badria appeared in a video, intervening to reclaim the house from a faction tied to Hijri's forces, asserting that "whoever follows Bashar al-Assad's path will fall, just as his regime did."