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
People gather on the day Israeli Druze leader Sheik Mowafaq Tarif and around 100 Syrian Druze religious elders, in the first Druze delegation from Syria just after 1973 war, visit the Nabi Shuayb Shrine, a holy place for the Druze community, in northern Israel March 14, 2025. REUTERS/Ammar Awad
Israel ‘Poised’ to Defend Syrian Druze Near Damascus
Israel’s defense minister says minority Druze in Jaramana a town south of Damascus, were under attack from the new Syrian regime and that he ordered Israeli forces to be poised to help protect them if necessary.
Israel's military prepares to defend Druze community near Damascus
Israel's defense ministry says the military has been instructed to prepare to defend a Druze settlement in the suburbs of Damascus in neighboring Syria. It asserts that the minority it has vowed to pr
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,
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
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.
Israel strikes Damascus 'terror HQ' in bid to kill Palestinian jihadi fighters
Israeli warplanes have hit the 'terror HQ' in neighbouring Syria, warning the new regime there is no place to hide for ...
In Netanyahu’s new Middle East, Syria could become Israel’s biggest strategic gain
Just hours after Islamist rebels ousted longtime Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad in December, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin ...
Israel faces new Syria challenge as it adjusts to new strategy amid regional power struggle for influence
Israel is rethinking its Syria strategy following the country's Islamist takeover in December, rising attacks on minorities ...
Syria’s Druze seek a place in a changing nation, navigating pressures from the government and Israel
Syria’s Druze minority is trying to navigate a new, uncertain Syria. Members of the small religious sect find themselves ...