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Who Are the Druze, and Why Are They at the Heart of Syria-Israel Tensions?
SOUTHERN SYRIA, JUL 17 – Israel says its airstrikes aim to prevent hostile forces near its border and protect roughly 1 million Druze in Syria amid escalating local clashes and militia activity.
- On Sunday clashes erupted in southern Syria between Druze factions and Bedouin tribes, leaving over 100 dead, prompting Israeli military strikes aimed at protecting the Druze minority.
- The Druze are a secretive religious minority of about one million across Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, and Israel, whose faith originated in Egypt in the 11th century as an offshoot of Islam.
- Under pressure from Israeli Druze, Israeli leaders have repeatedly attacked Syria this year to protect the Druze minority, also aiming to prevent hostile build-up at the border.
- Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa vowed on Thursday to protect the Druze minority as part of the Syrian fabric, while hundreds of Golan Heights Druze crossed into southern Syria to assist, the Israeli military said.
- Despite US diplomatic intervention under President Trump, Israeli strikes have imperiled backchannel diplomacy with Syria, raising doubts about a nonaggression pact.
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Dispersed over several countries in the Middle East, the Druze people emerged from Shia Islam shortly after the year 1000. Since its beginnings, it has been persecuted by Islamic Orthodoxy.
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The Druze Are a Religious Sect. Here's a Look at Their Beliefs and History
Get latest articles and stories on World at LatestLY. 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. World News | The Druze Are a Religious Sect. Here's a Look at Their Beliefs and History.
More than 250 people have died in clashes between Syrian government forces and Druze fighters. What is this religious minority?
Coverage Details
Total News Sources47
Leaning Left17Leaning Right4Center12Last UpdatedBias Distribution52% Left
Bias Distribution
- 52% of the sources lean Left
52% Left
L 52%
C 36%
12%
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