BEIRUT: Tensions between the leaders of Lebanon’s two main Druze political parties had abated by Sunday, after a Twitter spat broke out over a decree the Syrian government issued to regulate the travel of Lebanese Druze sheikhs to the country.
According to multiple Lebanese Druze politicians, the Syrian government Saturday announced that Lebanese Druze sheikhs will be allowed to enter the country only if they possess an ID card signed by Lebanese Druze Sheikh Nasreddine al-Gharib. An ally of Syrian President Bashar Assad’s regime, Gharib is considered the spiritual leader of Lebanon’s Druze community by Lebanese Democratic Party leader MP Talal Arslan.
However, spiritual Druze affairs in Lebanon are officially led by Sheikh Naim Hasan, the head of the Druze Spiritual Council and an ally of Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Joumblatt, Arslan’s rival.
A copy of the ID card’s template, with Gharib’s signature in the corner, circulated on Lebanese media sites.