US Envoy Barrack Backs Damascus Control of Syria's Suwayda

US Special Envoy Tom Barrack stated on Friday that Washington favors control by the Syrian government over Suwayda, a majority Druze governorate in the south that remains outside full state authority. Barrack, who serves as the US ambassador to Turkiye and special envoy to Syria and Iraq, made the remarks during a conversation with Australian commentator Mario Nawfal on the social platform X.

The envoy specifically referenced a local Druze sheikh, widely identified as Hikmat al-Hijri. Al-Hijri leads a political and religious faction in Suwayda linked to the National Guard, a Druze armed group. Israeli officials and analysts have accused the National Guard of acting as a proxy for Israel, which has supported the group with the goal of maintaining leverage over the southern border.

Barrack’s comments signal a shift in US policy toward a closer alignment with Damascus under President Ahmed al-Sharaa. This stance contrasts with the position of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose government has maintained a heavy military presence in the region since the fall of the al-Assad regime in December 2024.

Israel has seized land in Quneitra governorate and other strategic areas. The country has also bombed the Syrian Ministry of Defence and arrested residents in the south. These actions have drawn sharp criticism from Syrian officials, who view the incursions as a challenge to their sovereignty.

Navvar Saban, a researcher at the Arab Center for Contemporary Syrian Studies, told Al Jazeera that Barrack’s message was unambiguous. "Israel backing [al-Hijri] does not equal American backing," Saban said. "Washington has prioritised an agreement with Damascus while Israel retains its own security demands and relationship."

The situation in Suwayda has been defined by deep distrust since July 2025. During that month, sectarian fighting between Bedouin tribes and Druze residents resulted in heavy casualties, predominantly among the Druze. Forces linked to the Syrian government fought alongside the Bedouins, while Israel intervened by attacking government forces entering the province.

A trilateral agreement signed in Amman in September 2025 called for an independent international commission to investigate the July violence. However, the province remains in a stalemate. Residents cite daily pressures, such as salary delays and exam disruptions, as evidence that the central government is still imposing its will rather than building consensus.

Analyst Nanar Hawach noted that Israel uses Suwayda as a strategic lever. "Washington is building a partner in Damascus while Israel appears to prefer a Damascus that is too weak to assert itself in the south," Hawach said. "Israel appears intent on a lasting military presence in southern Syria, and it uses Suwayda as a lever against Damascus."