Supreme Legal Committee in Sweida

Supreme Legal Committee in Sweida اللجنة القانونية العليا في السويداء
Flag
Territory of the Committee as of 12 February 2026 which are controlled by the National Guard (Suwayda Military Council, Sheikh al-Karama Forces, Al-Jabal Brigade and Men of Dignity)
Status	Unrecognized legal-administrative authority
Capital	Suwayda
Government	Legal-administrative authority
Head
• Since 2025	Hikmat al-Hijri[a]
Secretary-General of Sweida province/Secretary-General of the Suwayda Governate[2][3]
• Since 2025	Maher Ghaleb al-Andari[2][4]
Establishment	Syrian conflict
• Established	25 July 2025
• Ayoub Kara declares independence[6]	21 September 2025[5]
Currency	Syrian pound (SYP)
Time zone	UTC+3 (AST)
Website Media Office of the Supreme Legal Committee

The Supreme Legal Committee in Suwayda (Arabic: اللجنة القانونية العليا في السويداء) is a unilaterally declared de facto autonomous legal-administrative authority^{[7][8][9][10][11][12][2]} operating in the Suwayda Governorate in southern Syria. It was established on 25 July 2025, under the auspices of the Spiritual Leadership of the Unitarian Druze, led by Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri,^[a] following clashes in the region and the partial withdrawal of central government institutions. It borders Syria and Jordan.

The committee was formed amid growing instability and a power vacuum in Suwayda. It consists of six judges, including four judicial advisors, and three lawyers. The formation was announced by the Spiritual Leadership of the Druze, headed by Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri.^[13][a]

The committee also revealed the formation of a temporary executive office to oversee essential services in the governorate.^[14]

In a series of official statements, the Supreme Legal Committee outlined its responsibilities as managing public affairs across all sectors in Suwayda, including administrative, security, and service-related matters. Its stated goals include:^[13]

• Preserving public and private institutions.
• Combatting corruption and addressing grievances from all communities.
• Forming a temporary executive office to manage local services.
• Creating specialized subcommittees focused on relief, documenting violations, and tracking the fate of missing and forcibly disappeared persons.
• Overseeing issues related to martyrs and the wounded.
• Accepting and distributing donations to those affected by the conflict.
• Monitoring the healthcare sector and ensuring the functioning of both public and private hospitals.

The committee justified its actions by citing "the urgent circumstances in Suwayda and the need to ensure prompt services to the population".^[13]

On 6 August 2025, the committee announced the appointment of:^[14]

• Brigadier General Shakib Ajwad Nasr as Commander of the Internal Security Forces in Suwayda.
• Brigadier General Anwar Adul Radwan as Deputy Commander.

Nasr previously served as a senior official in the Political Security Directorate under the Ba'athist regime.^[14]

Several weeks later, Nasr declined to take the position and was replaced by Shadi Fayez Murshid.^[15]

On 7 August 2025, The Syrian Ministry of Justice referred the judges involved in the committee to the Judicial Inspection Directorate for investigation. According to a government source cited by the Syrian state-run news agency SANA, the judges violated judicial conduct rules outlined in the Judicial Authority Law. The source stated that the judges in question undertook activities deemed incompatible with their judicial responsibilities; specifically, engaging in political work outside the authority of the Supreme Judicial Council. Articles 78 and beyond of the Judicial Authority Law prohibit judges from combining their duties with other jobs or political involvement, either directly or indirectly. The ministry said that the actions of these judges were political in nature, ran counter to national interests, and promoted division.^[16]

On 11 October 2025, a US delegation met with Hikmat al-Hijri and the National Guard, without the knowledge of Jihad Ghoutani, which created divisions in the National Guard. On the same day al-Hijri changed the name of Jabal al-Arab to "Jabal al-Bashan", a Hebrew term, which generated controversy in Suwayda,^[17] the matters were legally resolved by the National Guard.^[18]

On 20 October, the National Guard repelled an infiltration attempt by Syrian government forces with 23mm heavy machine guns towards the town of Majdal.^[19]

On 30 November 2025, the National Guard claimed a "coup d'état" by Raed al-Matni and Assem Abo Fakhr, where they were arrested together with people related to Syrian government forces, Sources indicated that the incident was an attempted assault on the government building and police headquarters, carried out by "Gandhi Abo Fakhr and a group affiliated with him, in coordination with Suleiman Abdul Baqi, with the aim of "overthrowing al-Sheikh al-Hijri".^[20]

On 1 December, the National Guard detained 10 people, including, Sheikh Raed al-Matni, Assem Abou Fakher, Ghandi Abou Fakher, Maher Falhout, Hussam Zeidan, Zeidan Zeidan and Alameddine Zeidan, clarifying that they carried out a “swift and precise” operation to arrest what it called “traitors and conspirators”.^[21]

On 3 December, Raed al-Matni's body was found with signs of torture, after being accused of having links with Suleiman Abdul Baqi. The National Guard also raided al-Baqi's house, and promised a strong response.^[22]

On 19 December the National Guard accused Tareq al-Shoufi of "collaborating with Sharaa, and [he] went into hiding", while al-Hijri was "accused of kidnapping and his son of dealings with regional drug-smuggling networks, including Hezbollah."^[23] As of January 2026, the dispute had effectively ended.

• Federalization of Syria
• National Guard (Suwayda)
• Suwayda Military Council