Who are Druze minority and why is Israel attacking Syria to protect them?

A massive strike was launched by Israel on Syria, targeting the Syrian Defence Ministry headquarters and striking close to the presidential palace. A dozen people were killed this week after clashes between government loyalists and Druze militias in the southern.

Israel said it won't allow Syria's new government, headed by interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, to advance its troops into southern Syria, as barely disguised jihadists, and said it won't let them move their forces into southern Syria.

The Israeli Druze minority has called for the safety of the Druze community in southern Syria, and Israel has pledged to protect them from attack.

Violence in and around Sweida, a city with a Druze majority, has claimed scores of lives this week. The Syrian military stormed the area on Monday.

Israel responded to the escalation by launching more attacks against Syrian government forces advancing on Sweida and pledging to keep up the attacks to save the Druze community.

Protecting Syria's Druze minority and stopping Syrian forces from entering or approaching shared border areas are the main justifications for Israel's action.

According to an Israeli military officer, their attacks struck a target close to the presidential palace and the entrance to the military headquarters in Damascus.

According to the official, Israel intervened because Syrian forces were contributing to the issue and failing to stop the attacks against Druze.

Who are Druze minority?

There are around one million Druze in the world. Their main places of residence are Israel, Syria, and Lebanon.  Originating as a branch of Islam in Egypt in the eleventh century, the religion's traditions prevent conversion to or from Islam and forbid interfaith marriage.

The southern Suwayda province, near the Golan Heights, is home to the majority of Syria's Druze population.

They often found themselves torn between the Assad government and terrorist organizations during Syria's ten-year civil war.
 In the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, there are around 20,000 Druze, the majority of whom identify as Syrian.  Some now reside in Israel, but many rejected Israeli citizenship following the region's 1981 annexation.  About 25,000 Jewish residents, dispersed among more than 30 villages, coexist alongside the Druze on the land.

The Israeli military confirmed on Wednesday that hundreds of Druze from the Golan region entered Syria, allegedly to help their relatives in the midst of the ongoing conflict.