Syria's Interior Minister Anas Khattab has entrusted Suleiman Abdel Baqi, leader of the 'Ahrar Jabal al-Arab' coalition, with managing security in Suweida province, following months of violence, unrest and political turmoil in the country's southern-most province.
Abdel Baqi, a prominent Druze leader from Suweida, announced late Monday that Khattab had tasked him with overseeing security in the province.
It comes after a series of clashes and massacres in the Druze-majority region, which saw Israel intervene and strike government positions.
The interior minister, writing on X the same evening, said "new appointments were made in Suweida province with the active participation of its people and from all components", adding that "the appointments came within the framework of a comprehensive plan to restructure the security and police apparatus in line with the requirements of the stage and as the beginning of a more stable path in the province".
Although Khattab's post did not mention Abdel Baqi by name, a Syrian Interior Ministry source told The New Arab's Arabic edition Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that he would become director of the Security Directorate in Suweida city, while Brigadier General Hossam Maamoun al-Tahan would assume responsibility for internal security.
Abdel Baqi’s appointment comes as the fragile July ceasefire in Suweida holds. but with strong tensions, political talks appear stalled amid a state of mutual distrust.
Earlier this month, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed reported that al-Tahan had been appointed to replace Brigadier General Ahmed Haitham al-Dalati, who was transferred to Damascus Countryside.
Abdel Baqi rose to prominence during the 2023–2024 peaceful uprising in Suweida against the rule of Bashar al-Assad. He appeared in Karama Square denouncing the regime, Hezbollah’s influence, and Iranian intervention. His faction later joined military operations against the Islamic State group and drug-smugglers active in the Badia desert and around Suweida.
After the fall of Assad’s regime in December of last year, Abdel Baqi voiced support for the new authorities and took part in meetings between Suweida delegations and Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa.
He also mediated between the General Security Service and armed groups in Jaramana earlier this year. Stressing national unity, Abdel Baqi has repeatedly rejected calls for partition and external interference.
He has denounced Israeli calls for autonomy for the Druze, saying the community is "an integral part of the Syrian fabric" and "refuse foreign intervention in their internal affairs".
Abdel Baqi has survived two assassination attempts since 2024. He was shot in the chest in November that year and in March 2025 his home was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade.
Meanwhile, Suweida Governor Mustafa al-Bakkour has pledged to improve services and restore stability in the province. On Monday, the governorate announced that electricity maintenance crews had begun repairing lines in the Kanaker area south of the city.
Meeting local notables, al-Bakkour said "there are people whose goal is chaos and their need is that the area does not stabilize", stressing that "the responsibility to confront these schemes falls on everyone through solidarity, cooperation, and solving problems in a spirit of love and harmony".
"We are brothers and have lived together, and with love and forgiveness harmony can return among people and the south can regain its security and stability," al-Bakkour said.
He also announced humanitarian aid distributions and new service projects, including the rehabilitation of wells, electricity networks, and vital health and education facilities.
Abdel Karim al-Hassani, a displaced Bedouin tribesman, told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed he hoped to return to his home soon, welcoming state efforts but urging faster progress.
"People are tired of displacement and want to return to their homes with dignity and safety," he said.
Al-Bakkour has also vowed to remove weapons spread "randomly" across the province and confine them to state control through the Internal Security Forces.