BETWEEN ISRAEL AND ISLAMISTS

The small minority sect in Syria is caught between hostile Islamists who see them as heretics and an aggressive Israel, which is bombing Syria in the name of protecting them

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Clashes first broke out in the southern outskirts of Damascus, Syria's capital, after an audio clip emerged on social media of a man criticising Prophet Mohammed. The audio was attributed to a Druze cleric (who later denied any role). Angry Sunni Islamists, aligned with the current government in Syria, started attacking Druze community members and armed Druze fighters fought back. Violence spread across Jaramana and Sahnaya near Damascus, and to Sweida, in southern Syria, the heartland of the Druze. Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri, the leader of Syria's Druze, denounced "the genocidal campaign" against his community.

When Bashar al-Assad's regime fell in December, and the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham established its rule in Damascus, the Druze, like other minority communities in the country, called for their religious and political rights to be protected. Syria's new rulers promised that minority rights will be respected. But those assurances did little in preventing the outbreak of sectarian clashes. As violence spread, Israel carried out multiple air strikes against pro-government groups in Syria "to protect the Druze".