US Envoy Denies Support for Druze Leader, Accuses Him of Exploiting False Claims
Translated & summarized from i24NEWS Arabic by baba
U.S. Envoy Tom Baranc denied American support for Druze leader Hikmat al-Hajri, accusing him of exploiting false claims of backing to gain influence in Syria's Sweida province. Baranc also touched upon the Captagon trade and the sensitive Israel-Druze relationship. The comments follow July 2025 tensions in Sweida that ended in a ceasefire but not a resolution.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- U.S. Envoy Tom Baranc denied American support for Druze leader Hikmat al-Hajri.
- Baranc accused al-Hajri of exploiting false claims of Israeli and American support.
- The envoy addressed security challenges including the Captagon trade in southern Syria.
- He noted the sensitive relationship between Israel and the Druze community.
- Sweida province is still dealing with the aftermath of July 2025 tensions and a ceasefire.
U.S. Envoy to Syria and Iraq Tom Baranc has denied any American support for Druze leader Hikmat al-Hajri. Baranc accused a Druze cleric of exploiting a "delusion of Israeli and American support" to expand his influence over the community amid ongoing tensions in Syria's southern Sweida province. Baranc stated that claims of external backing do not necessarily reflect Washington's position, suggesting some parties leverage perceptions of Israeli and American backing to bolster their regional sway.
Baranc also addressed the issue of Captagon drug production in the Sweida and Daraa region, highlighting the security challenges in southern Syria where local issues intersect with regional calculations. He noted the sensitivity of the relationship between Israel and the Druze, and its impact on the Syrian landscape, coinciding with continued Israeli incursions into southern Syria and Damascus's cautious stance.
These remarks come as Sweida continues to grapple with the repercussions of confrontations and tensions from July 2025, which concluded with a ceasefire but did not resolve the province's security and political disputes.
