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. Most of the other Druze live in Lebanon and Israel,

At the center of a crisis in Syria are the Druze — a secretive religious minority that long carved out a precarious identity across Syria, Lebanon and Israel.

The White House is attributing the outbreak of violence in the Middle East between the Syrian government and Israel to a “misunderstanding” over ethnic grudges. Secretary of State Marco Rubio blamed “longtime rivalries” between the Druze and Bedouins,

Majdal Shams is a Druze town. Here is a quick look at the community at the centre of the attack: Who are the Druze? The Druze are an ethnoreligious minority that largely identifies as Arab and is ...

But Majdal Shams is home to a community whose relationship with Israel is doubly complicated: Druze residents of the Golan Heights, which Israel captured in 1967 and annexed in 1981.

Some in the community welcome it, but some say they're being used to further Israel's political goals. The view from the Druze community in the Golan Heights | WFAE 90.7 - Charlotte's NPR News Source

Abu Saleh is part of the Druze community living on the Israeli side of the border. It's a close-knit religious minority - an offshoot of Shia Islam. Many have family in Syria.

Druze have served in the IDF voluntarily since 1948; in 1956, mandatory conscription for the Druze men of the Druze community began. As a result, Druze soldiers have fought and continue to serve ...

Syria border was breached, heartwarming family reunions decades in the making ensued for a number of hours, on both sides of the fence. But the happiness was still tempered by fear over the conflict.