Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri, the spiritual leader of the Unitarian Druze sect, made statements on Monday on the anniversary of the first Suwayda events, in which he touched on the future of the governorate, stressing the continuation of the 'independence' project, noting that the governorate 'may in the future be under the patronage of another state or join another state.'

Al-Hijri's statements come on the anniversary of the Suwayda events that shook the governorate last year, amid a sharp division over its future.

A local source opposed to al-Hijri's policies, residing in the city of Suwayda, expressed his rejection of al-Hijri's statements because the people of Suwayda 'have only their state despite all the difficult current circumstances they are living through.'

He added to Asharq Al-Awsat: 'It is known that Israel and Jordan do not have this orientation; Israel has explicitly stated through more than one official that it does not support the issue of Suwayda's secession,' adding that the general mood and majority of the residents 'will not give up their Syrian identity.'

Sheikh Aql of the Unitarian Druze sect Hikmat al-Hijri said in a speech on the anniversary of the events of July 2025 that the Suwayda governorate may in the future be under the patronage of another state or join another state, renewing his proposal regarding the future of the governorate. pic.twitter.com/WLctBtgXNW

— EekadFacts | إيكاد (@EekadFacts) July 13, 2026

For days, areas under al-Hijri's control in Suwayda have been witnessing gatherings to commemorate the first anniversary of last July's events, which left hundreds dead among Bedouins, Druze faction fighters, civilians, and army and security personnel.

The local source explained that participation in these gatherings is from 'the general public, because the majority have victims and wounded, and others are displaced, and the pain has afflicted everyone, while participation by al-Hijri's followers is weak.' He indicated that the residents' remembrance is a condemnation of the horror of the disaster and has no political dimension, such as demands for secession.

On Sunday, al-Hijri met with a delegation from the operations room of the city of Shahba, affiliated with what is known as the 'National Guard,' in the town of Qanawat, coinciding with the anniversary of the events of July 2025.

According to a video recording published by several platforms, al-Hijri affirmed that 'the goal is independence (for the state of Bashan),' and that this could be through establishing an independent state, or a region under the patronage of another state, or merging with another state, 'as dictated by the interest of the people of the region,' as he put it.

Elements of gunmen loyal to Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri during a patrol in Suwayda (Archive - AFP)

Al-Hijri also thanked Israel, considering that it stood by Suwayda, noting its geographical proximity in the context of his praise for its positions during past periods.

For its part, the Suwayda Governorate published a statement about the passing of a year since the Suwayda events, beginning with: 'The anniversary of the July events passes, carrying in memory a pain that left its mark on the hearts of the people of Suwayda Governorate, and in the conscience of Syrians in general, after those events claimed innocent lives and left losses and pains that are still present in the conscience of society.'

For her part, Maysaa al-Abdullah, a resident of the city of Suwayda, said that the governorate since the beginning of this July has been living 'a state of sadness and pain for the victims we have lost.'

Al-Abdullah told Asharq Al-Awsat that despite a year having passed since the events, 'the residents are still displaced from their villages, and there are 135 missing persons whose fate is unknown, and there are detainees in Adra prison in the Damascus countryside even though they are civilians,' accusing the authorities and the governorate of indifference. In this context, she noted the ongoing crisis for secondary and middle school students, as out of 14,000 students, only a very small percentage were able to take the exams.

An inspection tour by the Internal Security commander in Suwayda, Brigadier General Hossam al-Tahan, near points that witnessed attempts to attack Internal Security sites on July 5 (Facebook account)

The speaker added that 'until this moment, the majority of residents adhere to their Syrian and Arab national belonging, but the authorities are pushing residents towards rejecting the idea of Syrian belonging,' according to her.

Aerial view of the city of Suwayda amid clashes in July 2025 (DPA)

On the other hand, the security director of Suwayda city, Sulaiman Abdel Baqi, said on his Facebook account that the preliminary investigations into the explosion of a vehicle on the Damascus-Suwayda road on Sunday showed that the explosion occurred from inside the car, denying any indications of being shot or targeted from outside.

Abdel Baqi explained that criminal investigation teams did not detect traces of gunfire or damage resulting from external targeting of the vehicle, indicating that preliminary investigation results suggest that Mamoun Talal Kahil, a member of what is known as the 'National Guard militia,' was trying to plant an explosive device on the Damascus-Suwayda road before it exploded inside his vehicle.

Explosion kills driver on Damascus-Suwayda road, authorities open investigation. Suwayda 24 obtained preliminary details and information from security sources and eyewitnesses about the explosion that occurred yesterday near the village of 'Buraq' on the Damascus-Suwayda road, which resulted in the death of the car driver. The sources reported that... pic.twitter.com/xb1ESOL3Zn

— السويداء 24 (@suwayda24) July 13, 2026

He added that witnesses working in adjacent agricultural lands reported that the car was seen moving back and forth in the area between the towns of Al-Sura al-Kabira and Buraq before the explosion occurred.

Explosion kills driver on Damascus-Suwayda road, authorities open investigation. Suwayda 24 obtained preliminary details and information from security sources and eyewitnesses about the explosion that occurred yesterday near the village of 'Buraq' on the Damascus-Suwayda road, which resulted in the death of the car driver. The sources reported that... pic.twitter.com/xb1ESOL3Zn

Abdel Baqi denied the reports that spoke of the car being shot on the road, stressing that the preliminary investigations did not show anything to support those claims, noting that the Damascus-Suwayda road did not witness any attacks on the same day, and that travelers entering and leaving the governorate exceeded 2,230 people from Suwayda.

The security director of Suwayda stressed that the preliminary investigation results, if confirmed, reveal the seriousness of these operations, emphasizing the need to deal 'firmly' with any attempts aimed at destabilizing the security of the governorate or endangering the lives of civilians.

Many residents of Suwayda reject these statements, affirming their adherence to the Syrian state. The calls for secession do not have clear regional or international support, especially with Israel and Jordan announcing that they do not support this orientation.