Over half of the roughly 1 million Druze worldwide live in Syria. Most other Druze live in Lebanon and Israel and the Golan Heights, a rocky plateau seized from Syria by Israel in the 1967 Mideast war. Israel’s 1981 annexation of the area is recognized only by the United States, with the rest of the world considering it occupied Syrian territory.

As violence escalates in Syria, Israel has announced its readiness to protect the Druze community, a minority group that has found itself caught in the crossfire of the country’s ongoing turmoil. The move highlights Israel’s longstanding ties with the Druze and underscores its concern for regional stability and humanitarian protection.

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.

The head of the Druze community in Israel on Thursday hailed plans for the first visit by a Druze religious delegation from Syria in five decades, despite escalating cross-border tensions underscored by an Israeli airstrike on Damascus.

For the first time in decades, Syrian Druze clerics have crossed the armistice line into the Golan Heights for a historic pilgrimage. The rare visit was met with celebrations as local Druze gathered,