He accused government-backed Bedouin fighters of trying to wipe out the Druze community and thanked Israel for airstrikes against Syrian forces in Sweida and Damascus in July. In August, more than 400 representatives from Kurdish, Alawite, Druze and other groups met in Hasaka, where Kurdish organizers hosted a conference on creating a decentralized Syrian state. Andrew Tabler, a Syria specialist at the Washington Institute, said Sharaa’s legitimacy depends on mending relations with minorities. According to one senior Syrian official, Ankara has agreed to provide weapons and training to Syrian forces being rebuilt under Sharaa. Alawite discontentThe Alawite community in Qardaha and Jableh has expressed frustration with Sharaa’s government since a March massacre that killed hundreds of civilians.