Druze, Israel and Syria

Dozens of Syrian Druze make a rare visit to Israeli-controlled Golan Heights
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.
Druze Religious Elders From Syria Make Historic Visit to Israel
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.
Israeli Druze prepare for first visit by Syrian Druze in decades
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.
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
Syrian Druze clerics head to Israel for first pilgrimage
A delegation of Syrian Druze clerics headed to Israel on Friday, marking the first such visit since Israel’s creation in 1948. The pilgrimage, organised at the invitation of the Druze community in Israel,

Canada relaxes sanctions on Syria

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 ...
Druze seek a place in a changing Syria, navigating pressures from the government and Israel
Members of the small religious sect find themselves caught between two forces that many of them distrust: the new, ...
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In Syria, U.S.-backed Kurdish forces reach agreement with new government
In Syria, there's been a major development as U.S.-backed Kurdish forces who have controlled part of the country for more than a decade have agreed to be incorporated into the Syrian state.
Syria's interim president signs deal with Kurdish-led SDF to merge forces
The Kurdish-led and U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, which controls much of Syria's oil-rich northeast, signed a deal ...
Hundreds reported killed in Syria clashes in worst violence since ouster of Assad regime
In the worst outbreak of unrest since Syria’s transitional government took power, hundreds of people have been killed or ...
The last good days in Syria before a new nightmare began
When I interviewed Patriarch Ignatius Aphrem II of the Syriac Orthodox Church in Damascus on Feb. 27, neither one of us knew ...