World News
Kurds agree to integrate into Syrian military, leaving Sweida's Druze as sole holdout
The dissolution of Kurdish independent rule in northeastern Syria ends the vision of a decentralized state, leaving the southern Druze minority isolated from other autonomous factions.
The short version
- Syria's Kurdish minority has agreed to dissolve its nearly 14-year independent rule, integrating the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) into the Syrian military and returning control of northeastern oil fields to the central government.
- Sweida province, populated primarily by the Druze minority, is now the only region in Syria refusing to accept central government authority.
- Following deadly intercommunal clashes in July 2025 that left over 1,700 dead, Druze leader Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri severed trust with Damascus and recently declared the Druze to be an inseparable part of Israel.
Key facts
- The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) agreed to integrate into the Syrian military, returning northeastern Syria's oil-rich territory to the central government's authority after nearly 14 years of independent rule.[Deutsche Welle]
- The integration of the Kurds ends a shared political vision of a decentralized, fragmented Syria held by Kurdish leader Mazloum Abdi and Druze leader Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri.[Deutsche Welle]
- Intercommunal violence in Sweida in July 2025 and subsequent government intervention resulted in over 1,700 deaths, deeply eroding the Druze community's trust in the Syrian government.[Deutsche Welle]
- Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri recently declared the Druze an "inseparable part of the state of Israel," though Sweida remains geographically isolated from Israel and dependent on Damascus for public services, salaries, power, and water.[Deutsche Welle]
- A diplomatic road map drafted in September with US and Jordanian negotiators to repair relations between Damascus and Sweida was rejected by al-Hijri's allies, with the UN reporting no progress as of June.[Deutsche Welle]
What remains uncertain
- Analysts suggest that a final political solution for Sweida will likely depend on external factors, specifically whether Syria and Israel can negotiate a future security agreement.[Deutsche Welle]