All4Syria has learned from an informed source that the head of Military Intelligence branch in Sweida, Wafeek Nasser, met dozens of Druze sheikhs on Sunday at the Sweida cultural center.
The sheiks were led by the "Three Mind Sheikhs", Hikmet al-Hijri, Hammoud Henawi and Yousuf Jarboua, as part of an effort to control the challenges that have emerged recently in the form of protest by some of the sheikhs and community leaders against the treatment of the intelligence towards the residents of the Druze mountain.
They are also protesting the investiment in media efforts to present their position as supporters of Assad and his regime.
A source confirmed that the meeting was attended by dozens of sheikhs and a huge number of security forces. Nasser repeated the regime's claims about "errorism and conspiracy" facing the country, giving examples of incidents in the province and asking the armed sheikhs to register their weapons and work as informers for the security forces to help protect the mountain.
A source with the opposition in Sweida said the meeting is "an attempt by security forces to control the movement of sheikhs earlier this month, and reflects the concerns of the regime towards the state in rejecting the challenge rising in the mountain in general."
"It comes after three rockets fell on Sweida and the claim that Sweida is targeted by the Nusra Front, so there is no choice but to stick to Assad's regime."
The source said he expected the support of the sheikhs and their efforts to polish the image and market Nasser after he was threatened if he did not leave the province. He has been given the green light by security forces to prosecute opponents among the Druze people, something that will only encourage Nasser and his men to strike harder at the revolutionary movement in Sweida.
Translated and edited by The Syrian Observer
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