The Druze religious sect, enmeshed in an outbreak of tit-for-tat violence in Syria, began roughly 1,000 years ago as an offshoot of Ismailism, a branch of Shiite Islam.

They were driven by something else: a sense of responsibility toward the Druze community in Syria.Past strikes typically followed a narrow script: preventing weapons transfers, blocking entrenchment near the border,

The Druze, a religious sect with roots in Ismailism and a storied history in Syria, maintain secrecy and discourage intermarriage. With a strong sense of community support, they have long navigated political turbulence,

The Druze established strongholds in the mountainous areas of the region that includes Lebanon and Syria, where they continued to practice their faith in relative isolation over the generations.

Syria's interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa urged Sunni Muslim Bedouin tribes Saturday to "fully commit" to a ceasefire aimed at ending clashes with Druze-linked militias that left hundreds dead and threatened to unravel the country's postwar transition.

Though Syrian troops withdrew from Sweida after the truce, fighting reignited late Thursday between the tribal Bedouin fighters and the Druze, a religious minority with followers in Lebanon and Israel. Israel's military carried out fresh strikes in Sweida province overnight.

There is a long history to this recent event, and understanding it leads to deep insights into the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The Druze are Arabs but not Muslims.

The Druze, who number around 140,000 in Israel, are an Arabic-speaking minority population distinct from the mainstream Muslim and Christian Arabic communities, with a unique history, culture and ...

JARAMANA, Syria — Syria’s Druze minority has a long history of cutting their own path to survive among the country’s powerhouses. They are now trying again to navigate a new, uncertain Syria ...

Renewed violence in Syria between the Islamist-led government and Druze communities has drawn international attention to one the region's influential but often overlooked religious minorities. As