BEIRUT (Dispatches) -- A prominent Druze leader in Lebanon warned of an Israeli plot to divide Syria along sectarian lines and create chaos amid clashes between HTS forces and local Druze self-defense units in the Damascus suburb of Jaramana.
“The free Syrians must be cautious of the plots of Israel,” veteran Druze leader Walid Jumblatt said at a news conference.
“In Syria, there is a plot for sabotage. There is a plot for sabotage in the region and for the Arabs’ national security,” Jumblatt added.
Jumblatt said he plans to visit Syria, following weekend clashes between militants from the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS)-led leadership and Druze self-defense units in the Damascus suburb of Jaramana.
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 during the 14-year war that began in 2011.
Since HTS ousted President Bashar al-Assad and took power in Damascus in December, they have not been allowed to deploy their forces to Jaramana. The city has instead been protected by local Druze self-defense units who operate checkpoints at its entrances.
But on Friday, two members of the HTS-led forces entered Jaramana and opened fire on Druze gunmen. The Druze returned fire, killing one HTS militant, local sources speaking with The Cradle said.
In another incident in Jaramana on the same day, an HTS militant stabbed a Druze man with a knife. The injured man was taken to the Mujtahid Hospital in Damascus, the sources added.
On Saturday, the HTS-led regime sent reinforcements to set up barriers around Jaramana, demanding that the Druze disarm and remove their checkpoints.
In response, Druze forces from the Suwayda Military Council in southern Syria declared a full mobilization and sent fighting units to defend Jaramana.
Clashes erupted between HTS forces from the neighboring Sunni town of Al-Mleha and Druze gunmen, leading to the death of a Druze fighter, Ahmad Abu al-Dehn, while five more were wounded.
Following the clashes, Zionist prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and war minister Israel Katz instructed the army to prepare for an intervention to “protect” the Druze of Jaramana. 
On February 24, Netanyahu demanded that southern Syria be a “demilitarized” zone where Syrian forces are not allowed to operate.
Since the overthrow of President Assad in December 2024, Syria has been governed by a transitional regime led by Abu Muhammad al-Julani who led HTS during the war on Syria after splitting from Al-Qaeda.
Many minorities in Syria have been concerned that they could face repression under Julani’s regime or harassment from armed groups
Since the downfall of President Assad in December, Israel has expanded its occupation of territory in southern Syria while seeking to divide Syria along sectarian lines to ensure it will remain weak militarily.