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Alawite Council rejects HTS probe into southern Syria clashes, warns of sectarian divide

Iran Press TV

Saturday, 26 July 2025 9:49 AM

The head of the Higher Alawite Islamic Council, Sheikh Ghazal Ghazal, has roundly dismissed the results of a probe by the ruling Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) regime into deadly clashes in southern Syria, warning of sectarian divide in the Arab nation.

Sheikh Ghazal, in a statement released on Friday, categorically denounced the "terrorist network" that aims to destroy the fabric of Syrian society and justify violence under the guise of religious legitimacy.

He also emphatically rejected the role of international human rights investigation committees, describing them as "tools to whitewash crimes and shield the perpetrators."

"They mixed truth with falsehood and cloaked injustice in the guise of justice as part of desperate attempts to mislead public opinion and obscure the truth," Sheikh Ghazal stated.

He drew parallels between recent attacks on the Druze community and atrocities committed against the Alawites, accusing the HTS regime of repeating such crimes under the pretext that the communities are affiliated with the deposed government of President Bashar al-Assad.

Sheikh Ghazal then called for immediate global intervention, demanding the formation of independent investigative bodies to examine the abuses against civilians in Sweida and other areas.

According to the United Kingdom-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor, the clashes between fighters from the Druze community and HTS-linked Bedouin clans, which began on July 13, killed more than 1,000 individuals.

The Observatory said the fatalities were caused by armed clashes and field executions.

A ceasefire agreement was signed on July 19 between the spiritual leadership of the Druze community and the HTS regime.

The ceasefire says the Bedouin militiamen will release Druze women they are holding captive and leave Suweida province.

Since the collapse of Assad's government, the Israeli military has been launching airstrikes against military installations, facilities, and arsenals belonging to Syria's now-defunct army.

Israel has been widely condemned for the termination of the 1974 ceasefire agreement with Syria and for exploiting the chaos in the Arab nation in the wake of Assad's downfall to make a land grab.

The United Nations has condemned ongoing Israeli attacks inside Syrian territory and repeated violations in and around the buffer zone created as part of a 1974 ceasefire agreement with Damascus.