It backfired. Sectarian attacks on Druze civilians during the ensuing fighting have hardened Sweida’s stance against the government, pushed it toward Israel, and led some in the minority sect to go as far as calling for secession.

Now Druze groups have set up a de facto military and governmental body in Sweida, similar to the Kurdish-led authorities in the country’s northeast. It is a major setback for Damascus struggling to exert its authority across the country following a 13-year civil war and win the support of minorities.

When former President Bashar Assad was brought down by Islamist-led insurgents in December, many Druze celebrated, welcoming a new era after over 50 years of autocratic rule. They were willing to give interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa, a former al-Qaida-linked militant who promised a democratic and inclusive political transition, a chance.

Among them was Omar Alkontar, a 21-year-old biology student. Then his village outside the city of Sweida was burned to the ground in July’s clashes.

Now, he said, “The main idea is that we have to separate (from Damascus) to prevent another massacre.”

A de facto Druze administration
While many Druze were initially willing to work with the new authorities, a notable exception was Druze spiritual leader Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri, a divisive figure who had flip-flopped between support for Assad and anti-government protests and now opposed dealing with the new government.

In July, armed groups affiliated with al-Hijri clashed with local Bedouin clans, spurring intervention by government forces who effectively sided with the Bedouins. Hundreds of civilians, mostly Druze, were killed, many by government fighters.

Videos surfaced online showing armed men killing Druze civilians kneeling in squares and shaving the mustaches off elderly men in an act of humiliation.

The sectarian violence changed the minds of many Druze about the new authorities — and about al-Hijri, who has emerged as the dominant Druze figure in Syria. In August, he established a government-like body called the Supreme Legal Council.

Dozens of armed factions originally formed to counter drug gangs and Islamic State group extremists have banded together under the National Guard. Critics say it includes former Assad loyalists and allied militias trafficking the amphetamine known as Captagon. It also includes former opponents of al-Hijri, most notably the Men of Dignity, a prominent group that had endorsed cooperation with Damascus before the July violence.

“We urge all the honorable in the world … to stand with the Druze sect in southern Syria to declare a separate region that keeps us protected until the end of time,” al-Hijri said in August, upon welcoming the Men of Dignity into the National Guard.

Al-Hijri did not respond to interview requests and it is unclear exactly what kind of system he envisions.

Many in Sweida want some form of autonomy in a federal system. A smaller group is calling for total partition. Local Druze figures that still back al-Sharaa are now widely seen as traitors.

The attacks in Sweida sounded “strong alarm bells among the Druze” as well as other minority groups, said Mazen Ezzi, a Syrian researcher from Sweida now based in Paris.

“The Druze realized that to stay part of this new political status quo” under the new authorities “will be extremely difficult,” he said.

Israel seizes the moment
Most of the roughly 1 million Druze worldwide live in Syria, with the rest in Lebanon, Israel and the Golan Heights which Israel seized from Syria in 1967 and later annexed.

The Druze of Syria take pride in their historic involvement in revolts against Ottoman and French colonial rule to establish a secular, nationalist Syrian state.

Sheikh Mowafak Tarif, Israel’s Druze spiritual leader, was largely rejected by Druze leaders in Syria and Lebanon, who opposed Israel and supported the Palestinians.

But what happened in July has shaken about a century of Syrian Druze political history and driven many toward a formerly taboo ally.

When violence broke out in Sweida, Tarif called for Israeli military intervention to protect the Druze. Israel responded, launching strikes on Syrian government forces and on the Syrian Defense Ministry headquarters in Damascus. Syrian forces withdrew from Sweida.

Tarif told The Associated Press that he and al-Hijri stay in touch “all the time,” organizing deliveries of aid to the besieged province.

Tarif also meets with senior Western politicians and diplomats and has called for a demilitarized southern Syria and establishment of a humanitarian corridor from Israel to deliver food and medical supplies to Sweida. Israeli officials have also pushed for a wider demilitarized zone in Syria’s south.

Al-Hijri has thanked Israel publicly on several occasions.

The impact on the ground is apparent.

When someone hoisted an Israeli flag in Sweida in March, residents quickly took it down. Now, in Karama Square, where people once gathered to celebrate Assad’s downfall, portraits of al-Hijri and Tarif appear side by side at protests against al-Sharaa. Most carry the Druze faith’s five-colored flag, but some also wave the Israeli flag.

It’s a sign of “a people who feel let down by their nationalism,” Ezzi said.

Alkontar, the biology student, doesn’t believe Israel’s motives are altruistic, but says its intervention was a lifeline for many in Sweida.

“It’s not necessarily a love for Israel. They felt safer after the strikes, which is very sad,” Alkontar said after a attending a protest in Karama Square. “You want the army of your own government to provide you with that security, not a foreign country.”

Damascus struggles to change course
Al-Sharaa has tried to appeal to the Druze community since the July fighting and warned that Israel is trying to exploit the tensions.

“Mistakes were made by all sides: the Druze community, the Bedouins, even the state itself,” he said in an interview with state television. “Everyone who committed wrongdoing, made mistakes, or violated people’s rights must be held accountable.”

The president then formed a fact-finding mission. Last month, Damascus alongside the United States and Jordan announced a road map to return displaced Druze and Bedouins, deliver aid to Sweida, and bring about reconciliation.

Both moves were widely dismissed in Sweida.

A Sweida resident, whose fiance and members of his family were killed by gunmen who raided their village, accused Damascus of “covering the attacks up.” She spoke on condition of anonymity after previously receiving threats for speaking out.

“When the (Assad) regime fell, we were the first people to celebrate … but I think Ahmad al-Sharaa is a murderous extremist,” she said.

Alkontar is disheartened as he walks past another long breadline in a small bakery near ruined buildings after visiting a displaced family.

He believes some Druze “could have a change of heart … if the government changes its ways and extends a hand.” But many will not.

“As long as this government in Damascus stays, people will lean towards partition or independence,” Alkontar said. “I prefer we stay part of Syria without this ruling group. But as long as they’re there, I don’t know if even federalism will keep us safe.”

Syria’s Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani, along with an accompanying delegation, also attended the meeting on Wednesday in New York, the Syrian Foreign Ministry said in a brief statement.

Ukraine broke off relations with Syria in 2022 after the government of the country’s former ruler, Bashar al-Assad, moved to recognise the “independence” of the Russian-backed breakaway republics of Donetsk and Luhansk in eastern Ukraine. Shortly after, Syria announced it would break ties with Kyiv.

Zelenskyy said Ukraine and Syria signed a communique on the restoration of their diplomatic relations.

“We welcome this important step and are ready to support the Syrian people on their path to stability,” the Ukrainian leader wrote on X.

“During our negotiations with the President of Syria Ahmed al-Sharaa, we also discussed in detail promising sectors for developing cooperation, security threats faced by both countries, and the importance of countering them,” Zelenskyy said.

The Ukrainian leader said the two sides agreed to build “our relations on the basis of mutual respect and trust”.

Al-Sharaa arrived in New York on Sunday with a delegation of ministers to join the annual UN General Assembly, marking Syria’s first participation in the event at the presidential level in nearly 60 years.

Damascus had boycotted the gathering after the 1967 Arab-Israeli war, when Israel occupied the Golan Heights in southwest Syria.

President Nureddin al-Atassi was the last Syrian head of state to attend the UN summit, holding office from 1966 to 1970.

In January, al-Sharaa assumed power in Damascus after the opposition forces he led overthrew President al-Assad’s regime, bringing an end to the Assad family’s five-decade rule over Syria.

In his debut speech at the UNGA earlier on Wednesday, al-Sharaa called for the lifting of international sanctions on his war-torn nation.

Al-Sharaa highlighted the reform measures introduced in the months since he took power, including the creation of new institutions, plans for elections and efforts to attract foreign investment.

The United States and Israel have discussed with three East African governments the forced displacement of Palestinians from Gaza to Sudan, Somalia and its breakaway region of Somaliland, according to US and Israeli officials quoted by The Associated Press news agency.

Friday’s report said officials from Sudan claimed to have rejected overtures from the US, while officials from Somalia and Somaliland told AP they were unaware of any contacts.

Speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss a secret diplomatic initiative, US and Israeli officials confirmed the contacts with Somalia and Somaliland, while the US officials confirmed Sudan as well. They said it was unclear how much progress the efforts made or at what level the discussions took place.

The development comes more than a month after US President Donald Trump floated the idea of forcibly displacing Palestinians and “taking over” the Gaza Strip. It was roundly rejected by Palestinians and countries in the Middle East, with many describing it as ethnic cleansing.

Separate outreach from the US and Israel to the three potential destinations began last month, days after Trump floated the Gaza plan alongside Netanyahu, according to the US officials, who said Israel was taking the lead in the discussions.

There was no immediate reaction to the report from the US or Israel.

But Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a longtime advocate of what he calls “voluntary” emigration of Palestinians, said this week that Israel is working to identify countries to take them in. He also said Israel is preparing a “very large emigration department” within its Ministry of Defense.

‘Red line’
Tamer Qarmout, an associate professor at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, told Al Jazeera the forced displacement of Palestinians is “a red line that should not be crossed”.

He said governments around the world have a responsibility to stop the “outrageous” proposal and “should not be engaging with Israel on any of these scenarios”, especially the displacement of Palestinians to African countries, “many of which continue to struggle from colonial legacies”.

“Sudan and Somalia are still ravaged by wars due to the colonial legacy. They [the Israeli government] have to be exposed and put on a shame list,” Qarmout added.

In exchange for accepting resettled Palestinians, it is thought that a variety of incentives – financial, diplomatic and security – would be offered to the East African governments.

A US official involved in the efforts confirmed to AP that the US was “having a quiet conversation with Somaliland about a range of areas where they can be helpful to the US in exchange for recognition”.

The US could offer the breakaway region of more than 3 million people international recognition, which is a priority for Somaliland’s new president, Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi.

Abdirahman Dahir Adan, Somaliland’s foreign minister, told the Reuters news agency denied the breakaway region’s authorities having received a proposal.

“I haven’t received such a proposal, and there are no talks with anyone regarding Palestinians,” he said.

‘Hidden agenda’
Meanwhile, it is difficult to understand why Somalia would want to host Palestinians given the country’s strong support for Palestinian self-rule, Sambu Chepkorir, a lawyer and conflict researcher in Nairobi, told AP.

“The realignments keep changing, and so maybe there is a hidden agenda in why Somalia,” Chepkorir said.

Two Sudanese officials, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive diplomatic matter, confirmed the Trump administration has approached the military-led government about accepting Palestinians.

One said the contacts began even before Trump’s inauguration, with offers of military assistance against the RSF paramilitary group, assistance with postwar reconstruction and other incentives.

Both officials said the Sudanese government rejected the idea. “This suggestion was immediately rebuffed,” said one official. “No one opened this matter again.”