After October 7 and in light of the growing threat from Hezbollah, can Israel afford to allow extremist groups to gain a foothold along its northern border?” asked Sheikh Muafak Tarif.

Hijri has harshly criticized Syria’s government for what he called an “unjustified genocidal attack” during deadly sectarian fighting in Druze-majority areas south of Damascus this week.

The sectarian violence involving Islamist factions, security forces and Druze gunmen is another sign of the fragile security situation.