US Ambassador to Turkey and Special Envoy for Syria Tom Barrack has reiterated Washington’s support to the new Syrian government despite the tribal conflict rocking the country’s southern province, Sweida, for the past week.
Stating that the clashes, the revenge, the massacres on both sides were unacceptable, Barrack said, “The current government of Syria, in my opinion, has conducted themselves as best they can as a nascent government with very few resources to address the multiplicity of issues.” The special envoy also bashed Israel for its activism in Sweida throughout the past week and regarded the Israeli involvement as an impediment to concerted efforts to revive Syria and stabilize the Middle East.
Over 1000 people lost their lives in recent clashes that started last week due to infighting between the Druze militia and armed Bedouins in Sweida. The Israeli military targeted Syrian government forces as they entered the southern province to contain the clashes and restore order in the affected areas. Separately, Israeli airstrikes also razed to the ground the Syrian Ministry of Defense headquarters in central Damascus.
On Israel’s attacks on Syria, Barrack said they created confusion and “came at a very bad time.” Suggesting that Israel would prefer to see Syria fragmented and divided rather than a strong central state, he added, “I think all of the minority communities are smart enough to say, we’re better off together, centralized.”
