Druze, Syria and Israel

First Druze crossing in 50 years as Israel courts allies in Syria
It's the first time in five decades that Druze leaders have crossed from Syria into Israeli-controlled territory to visit Druze religious sites and communities here. The buffer zo
Druze Religious Elders From Syria Make Historic Visit to Israel
A delegation of Druze religious elders from Syria crossed into Israel on Friday for the first such visit in more than 50 years, underscoring Israel's backing for the community amid growing tensions with the new government in Damascus.
Three buses carrying Druze from Syria cross into Israeli-controlled area of the Golan Heights
The visit comes as Israel says it is supporting the minority in a country now ruled by Islamists. But many Druze have rejected its overtures, and critics accuse Israel of trying to weaken and divide Syria following the overthrow of President Bashar Assad.
Syrian Druze cross armistice line for pilgrimage to Israel
Dozens of Syrian Druze clerics crossed the armistice line on the Golan Heights into Israel on Friday for their community's first pilgrimage to a revered shrine since Israel's creation in
Israeli Druze Prepare for First Visit by Syrian Druze in Decades
Sheikh Mowafaq Tarif said the visit by around 100 Syrian Druze religious elders on Friday would be the first to Israel in some 50 years, when a group came in the immediate aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur war between Israel,
Syria's Four Wars Explained 14 Years On
Fourteen years after Syria's civil war began, the nation's new Islamist government faces sectarian conflict on four fronts.
Horror in Syria as hundreds 'seek refuge' at Russian air base amid deadly clashes
New satellite images seemingly show hundreds of refugees seeking shelter at a Russian air base in Syria. The images from ...
Council on Foreign Relations2d
Syria’s Surge in Violence Does Not Signal a New Civil War—for Now
A spate of attacks involving loyalists to former ruler President Bashar al-Assad has spurred concerns of a return to ...
Al Jazeera on MSN3d
Syria’s al-Sharaa vows to punish forces responsible for mass killings
Syria’s interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa has said that he will punish “even among those closest” to him for participating in ...
Syria's Civil War Takes Another Deadly, Dramatic Turn
"To be honest, the Alawites clearly ask for international protection," a former Syrian diplomat told Newsweek.
Associated Press13d
Israel’s military is told to prepare to defend a Druze community outside Syria’s capital
Saturday’s statement indicates that Israeli forces could push farther into Syria as its new authorities try to consolidate ...
Israel at war day 519: What happened in Israel, Gaza, and Syria?
Chief of Staff, Maj. Gen. Eyal Zamir, conducted a situational assessment and tour within the security zone in Syria with the ...
Syria's Neighboring Foreign Ministers Call for Lifting Sanctions and Reconciliation
Syria’s top diplomat and his counterparts from neighboring countries have called for the lifting of Western-led sanctions and ...
FDD's Long War Journal10d
Nascent Syrian armed group emerges to confront Israeli forces
An armed group called the Islamic Resistance Front in Syria recently formed with a stated goal of countering Israel’s ...
Syria, neighbors call for lifting of sanctions
Syria's top diplomat and his counterparts from neighboring countries Sunday called for the lifting of Western-led sanctions ...
The Economist1d
After the bloodshed, can Syria’s president unite his country?
Sharaa, seemed to waver between his jihadist past and his presidential present. After the first day of violence he made a ...