US envoy accuses Druze sheikh of using its backing to persecute other members of the community

What Happened

US envoy Tom Barrack, the US ambassador to Turkey and special envoy for Syria, accused an unnamed Druze sheikh in southern Syria of exploiting perceived Israeli backing and apparent alignment with Washington to persecute other Druze. Barrack made the remarks in an interview with commentator Mario Nawfal published on X on Friday. Middle East Eye reported the comments come amid tensions surrounding Hikmat al-Hijri, a prominent Druze spiritual leader in Sweida who opposes Damascus's authority, has called for Israeli support and has advocated independence from Syria. Barrack rejected claims that the sheikh had Washington's support, saying it was absolutely wrong. He also alleged that armed Druze factions in Sweida province fund weapons through captagon trade, claiming that Sweida to Daraa is the captagon manufacturing operation of the world and that Druze can arm themselves with money from illicit drug manufacturing. The Bashan administration, affiliated with al-Hijri, rejected Barrack's statements as misleading falsehoods and denied that Jabal Bashan is a captagon production centre, saying the community had fought smuggling networks at great personal cost.

Key Actors

Why It Matters

Barrack's remarks signal US distancing from a Druze faction that has sought Israeli support in southern Syria, at a time when Israel has repeatedly framed its military intervention in Syria as protection of the Druze and struck Syrian government forces in Sweida in July 2025. The captagon allegation adds a narcotics-finance dimension to armed factions around Sweida and Daraa, while Barrack's description of Syria's restraint toward Israeli incursions and ongoing trust-building talks underscores the fragile equilibrium along the Israel-Syria border after the 7 October 2023 attacks.

Watch For

Monitor whether Washington formally names or takes measures against Hikmat al-Hijri or the Bashan administration, and whether a sixth round of Israel-Syria border and boundary talks follows the five rounds Barrack cited as beginning in Paris in May 2024. Watch for any Syrian military response to Israeli incursions in the Sweida and Daraa area, which Barrack warned could trigger wider conflict, and for further Druze statements or flag rallies in Sweida.