Syrian Consul in Dubai Resigns Over As-Suwayda Violence, Government Responds By Rizik Alabi/The Media Line [Damascus] Syrian Consul in Dubai Ziad Zahreddine announced his resignation from the Syrian government in protest against what he described as “the genocide campaign in As-Suwayda,” accusing “Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham forces and Bedouin tribes” of carrying out the massacre under the […]
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The Media Line: Syrian Consul in Dubai Resigns Over As-Suwayda Violence, Government Responds
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Syrian Consul in Dubai Resigns Over As-Suwayda Violence, Government Responds
By Rizik Alabi/The Media Line
[Damascus] Syrian Consul in Dubai Ziad Zahreddine announced his resignation from the Syrian government in protest against what he described as “the genocide campaign in As-Suwayda,” accusing “Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham forces and Bedouin tribes” of carrying out the massacre under the direct supervision of top leadership in Damascus.
Zahreddine said in a statement that he would advocate for the establishment of a separate entity for the Druze community in Syria, expressing solidarity with Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri, a spiritual leader of the sect. Notably, Zahreddine used the term “Mount Bashan” to refer to As-Suwayda province — a biblical name encompassing parts of southern Syria, including Jabal al-Arab, the Golan Heights, the Hauran Plain, and Quneitra — a term Sheikh al-Hijri also recently used.
In the first official response, a source at the Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs told The Media Line that Zahreddine had been reassigned to the ministry’s central administration in Damascus and that his duties at the consulate ended Sept. 20. The source stressed that the statements made by Zahreddine “do not represent the Syrian state or its official policies but rather reflect a purely personal stance that contradicts diplomatic norms and the ethics of consular work.”
The ministry source, who works in the media department, added that the Syrian Consulate General in Dubai continues to operate “normally and regularly under the direct supervision of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates in Damascus.”
According to informed sources, Zahreddine sent his family to Germany to seek asylum after his assignment was terminated during a restructuring of the Syrian diplomatic corps.
The Consular Administration at the Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed to The Media Line that Ziad Zahreddine was transferred to the central administration in Damascus pursuant to Decision No. 209 issued Sept. 20, 2025, and accordingly, his duties at the consulate officially ended on the date of the decision.
The ministry said the Syrian Consulate in Dubai “continues to carry out its duties,” affirming its “full respect for the laws and regulations of the United Arab Emirates.”
This follows a report from the official Syrian Arab News Agency that a technical delegation from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has arrived in Bonn, Germany, to finalize technical and administrative arrangements for reopening the Syrian consulate there, part of ongoing efforts to enhance consular services for Syrians abroad.