Draft:Atef Hunaidi

Atef Hunaidi (Arabic: عاطف هنيدي) is a Syrian Druze local leader, also known by the kunya Abu Omar, and by the title of Al-Basha (the Pasha). Hunaidi is a renowned social figure from the Al-Majdal area of the Suwayda governorate, in southern Syria, and leader of the Hunaidi clan since 2018, when he succeeded his father Fadlallah Hunaidi, Abu Mansour. The title of "Al-Basha" is in this case not an official political position, but a local social designation used for the leader of a historically prominent household.

Atef Hunaidi is the grandson of Fadlallah Hunaidi, an actor of the Great Syrian Revolt against the French occupation, and uncle of Sarah Hunaidi, Syrian writer and human rights activist.

Political positions

Hunaidi publicly supported the protest movement in Suwayda against the former Syrian regime during the Syrian revolution, and more particularly the wave of protests taking place in the region during 2023-2024. Hunaidi praised the mass participation of women in the demonstrations and defended their role against critics.

Hunaidi has advocated for Syrian territorial unity, opposing Israeli intervention in Suwayda and rejecting separatist projects. In 2024, he was one of the signatories of the "Three Regions Document", a political manifesto for rebuilding a Syrian national political movement based in five principles: 1. Reclaiming political decision-making by Syrians, following the slogan "‘Syria belongs to us, not to the House of Assad"; 2. Freedom and dignity above stability; 3. National unity (regardless of sect, religion, or ideology), opposing partition; 4. Coordination and dialogue between Syrians; and 5. Trust among Syrians as "a political foundation-building tool that provides a framework for our national gathering, rebuilds national social capital, paves the way for unity within diversity, respects and consolidates pluralism as both a conviction and a practice, and prepares the transition to democracy in thought and behaviour". The document was launched by Syrian politicians and intellectuals from three regions that are particularly relevant to Syrian political history: al-Qurayya (the birthplace of Sultan Pasha al-Atrash, in Suwayda), Daraa al-Balad (the cradle of the Syrian revolution in 2011), and the northern countryside of Aleppo (birthplace of Ibrahim Hanano, one of the leaders against the French colonization), and later joined by signatories in the Golan and the Syrian coast. Hunaidi advocated for people from all parts of Syria to eventually join the manifesto.

After the fall of the Assad regime, while not expressing explicit support for the new authorities, Hunaidi advocated against further armed confrontations and in favour of national unity. He called for distinguishing between the homeland, the state, and the authorities that govern it, emphasizing that: "those who desire change should turn to political action, not weapons and violence. We have tasted the bitterness of war for a decade and a half; it has robbed us of our best sons, destroyed our economy, and hindered our progress in every field".

Hunaidi's mediation role

The Hunaidi family has historically had a political role in the region, with their guesthouse (مضافة / madafa) reportedly dating back to the 19th century and having served for hosting political delegations and meetings, and contributing to resolving local disputes. During the war in Syria, when local confrontations led to kidnappings and retaliatory actions, Hunaidi was involved in mediation efforts to resolve hostage situations, preventing further escalation.

In the aftermath of the 2020 fighting between al-Qurayya (Suwayda) and Busra al-Sham (Daraa), Hunaidi participated in negotiations to end tensions. In April 2020, Hunaidi condemned videos showing the torture of kidnapped people from Daraa by gangs in Suwayda and warned that such material could be used to provoke conflict between both regions. Later that year, he was among the signatories of the "Declaration of Good Neighborliness between the Plain and Mountain of Horan" which called for resolving the issue of kidnappings and establishing a permanent committee to monitor and investigate disputes.

Relations with Hikmat al-Hijri

Hunaidi's relationship with Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri, a senior spiritual leader of the Druze community in Suwayda, has included both cooperation and marked political differences and confrontations. In May 2024, Hunaidi supported al-Hijri's opposition to Assad's military operations around Suwayda. After the fall of the regime and during the clashes in Suwayda in the spring of 2025, Hunaidi participated alongside al-Hijri, Sheikh Yusuf Jarbou, Sheikh Hamoud al-Hanaawi, Prince Yahya Amer, Prince Hassan al-Atrash and other local figures in a meeting concerning security arrangements and state institutions in Suwayda.

Their positions diverged more explicitly when it came to the stance on Israel and the state's territorial aspirations towards Suwayda. In a statement on September 3rd, 2026, Hunaidi publicly rejected al-Hijri's characterization of the Syrian Druze as part of Israel. His statement also rejected al-Hijiri's use of the name "Bashan" for the area, as well as the political project associated with it, and said that "Suwayda is not Bashan and the Druze are not part of Israel".

September 2026 incident

Within hours of the publication of Hunaidi's statement of September 3rd criticizing al-Hijri's position, his home in al-Majdal was surrounded and entered by armed men. Multiple Syrian media outlets, citing local sources, associated the operation with the National Guard , a Druze paramilitary group under al-Hijri's authority.

SANA reported that armed groups attacked Hunaidi's home with live ammunition and hand grenades while Hunaidi and members of his family were inside. Quoting Suwayda Media Directorate, SANA reported that neighbours who tried to defend the house were also assaulted.

According to Syria media, local sources described that, after being taken from his house, Hunaidi was forced to leave Suwayda. Asharq al-Awsat cited the Suwayda's Media Directorate's director reporting that Hunaidi was tortured during his detention in an unsuccessful attempt to force him to retract his statement.

The National Guard contested the accusation, saying that its forces only intervened to deescalate tensions after other people gathered around Hunaidi's home due to his statement, and had secured his departure at his request. According to the National Guard's account, Hunaidi was taken to the Um al-Zaytoun checkpoint and travelled from there to Damascus by taxi at his own will.

However, the fact-checking platform Verify-SY quoted a statement by the Suwayda Center for Documentation and Media attributing the operation to a National Guard unit known as the al-Sumoud Battalion, which reportedly had initially described the operation as an arrest, and had accused Hunaidi of preparing the conditions for the Syrian authorities to enter and take control al-Majdal.

Hunaidi reportedly reached Damascus on September 4th 2026.

The Hunaidi family issued a statement condemning the attack, describing the removal of Atef Hunaidi from Suwayda as a crime and a dangerous precedent, and committing to seek accountability from those responsible.

The governor of Suwayda, Mustafa al-Bakour, also condemned the expulsion of Hunaidi and criticized the attack on the Hunaidi's guesthouse, describing it as a symbolic place that has always commanded respect from people in the region.

The US envoy to Syria, Tom Barrack, expressed his concern about the incident and said that his team was in contact with Atef Hunaidi and others affected by the renewed escalation.