Statement on violence in Druze Areas

Statement by the Alawites Association of the United States (AAUS)

The Alawites Association of the United States (AAUS) stands in full and unwavering solidarity with the Druze community in Syria and affirms their fundamental and moral right to defend themselves by any means necessary in the face of escalating threats, violence, and state neglect.

The recent attacks on Druze towns and civilians are not isolated incidents. They reflect a systemic failure by the Syrian regime — a regime that has long refused to engage in genuine national dialogue or build an inclusive future for all Syrians. The targeting of the Druze is part of a broader, dangerous pattern of repression and exclusion against Syria’s minorities.

Rather than promoting reconciliation and unity, the Syrian regime has deepened divisions, silenced dissent, and sustained power through force and fear. These policies have eroded national cohesion, broken trust between communities, and hollowed out Syria’s political and civic life.

Like all Syrian communities, the Druze have an inherent right — moral, legal, and existential — to protect their people, land, and dignity. When the state fails in its most basic duty to protect and include its citizens, communities are left with no choice but to defend themselves.

AAUS holds the Syrian regime directly responsible for the current impasse. Its refusal to embrace pluralism and its continued alignment with jihadist ideology has placed Syria’s minorities in grave danger — not only within the country’s borders but across the region. This trajectory toward radicalization threatens to unleash irreversible collapse.

We call on Syrians of all backgrounds, and on the international community, to meet this moment with moral clarity and resolve. The defense of Syria’s religious and ethnic minorities is not only a matter of justice — it is essential to preserving the possibility of a unified, peaceful, and inclusive Syria.

AAUS affirms that the only viable path forward is a decentralized governance model that honors Syria’s diversity, safeguards individual rights, and restores the rule of law.