Barrack thanks Jumblat for his role in Sweida pacification efforts

U.S. envoy Tom Barrack on Wednesday extended gratitude to Lebanon’s Druze leader Walid Jumblat over his role in the pacification efforts in Syria’s Sweida, the scene of recent sectarian bloodshed.

“Sincere thanks to Walid Jumblatt for his wisdom and unparalleled stature in harnessing the collective views of valued Druze leaders, who live within various man-made boundaries and borders, but nevertheless are committed to a God that knows no borders or boundaries,” Barrack said in a post on X.

“The Druze community can thrive as part of one Syria and in tolerance and cooperation with their Druze cousins in the region, who likewise live within their own nation states but share one God. This is a shared goal of all parties involved,” he added.

According to media reports, Jumblat visited Turkey and held talks with U.S. and Saudi officials in order to reach an agreement for Sweida.

Syrian foreign minister Asaad al-Shaibani announced on Tuesday a plan backed by Jordan and the United States to restore calm to Druze-majority Sweida province.

The situation in the province has been tense since the sectarian clashes, which the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said killed more than 2,000 people, including 789 Druze civilians "summarily executed by defense and interior ministry personnel."

"The Syrian government has laid out a clear roadmap for action... that supports justice and builds trust," Shaibani said in a press conference, adding that the plan involves holding accountable those who attacked civilians, compensating those affected and "launching a process of internal reconciliation."

The implementation will be accompanied by a United Nations investigation into the violence, according to Shaibani.

Jordanian foreign minister Ayman Safadi, present at the event with Barrack, said a "joint Syrian-Jordanian-American mechanism" would ensure the plan's implementation.

The bloodshed erupted on July 13 with clashes between Druze fighters and Sunni Bedouin but rapidly escalated, drawing in government forces and tribal fighters from other parts of Syria.

Syrian authorities have said their forces intervened to stop the clashes, but witnesses, Druze factions and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights have accused them of siding with the Bedouin and committing abuses against the Druze.

Barrack said the steps taken by the Syrian government on Tuesday were "historic".

Earlier in the day, Syrian authorities announced the creation of a new internal security chief position for Sweida city, naming a member of the Druze community to the post.