HTS moves south of Damascus, setting up potential clash with Zionazi forces

Muhammad Amin

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) has sent its security forces to the city of Jaramana south of Damascus to “end the chaos in the area”, potentially setting up a clash with Israeli forces also in the surrounds.

But their immediate antagonists will probably be Druze militia who are manning checkpoints around Jaramana. Hussam Tahhan, the colonel overseeing the Damascus countryside said his soldiers will end the illegal checkpoints, accusing the militia of being “outlaw” groups who had resorted to kidnapping, murder and extortion.

Tahhan accused the militia of being behind the assassination of Ahmad al-Khatib a security official. He said the militia had refused invitations to hold talks and was adamant n o Syrian geographical area will remain outside the control of state institutions. We have witnessed significant cooperation from the residents of the city of Jaramana in this matter,” Tahhan added.

Jaramana, which is dominated by Syria’s Druze religious minority, is home to some three million Syrians, including Christians and Sunni Muslims displaced from other parts of the country.

Since HTS ousted Syrian president Bashar al-Assad and took power in Damascus in December, they have not been allowed to deploy their forces to Jaramana, but that now appears to be changing.

However, the HTS forces are maintaining a light presence for the moment, only taking control of the main police station before withdrawing most of its men. Druze militia are still deployed at all checkpoints around the city.

Sporadic clashes have occurred in the past between militia forces and HTS forces, including one at the weekend that killed three people.

Israel has claimed it wishes to support the Druze minority in Syria. Following the clashes over the weekend, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said: “We will not allow Syria’s extremist terrorist regime to harm Druze. If the regime hits Druze – it will be hurt by us.”

Last month, Netanyahu demanded the “complete demilitarization of southern Syria.”