A Druze vendor on a street in Jaramana, a suburb of Damascus in Syria, on March 2, 2025. (Credit: Bakr Alkasem/AFP)
In a region undergoing upheaval since Oct. 7 and the fall of the Assad regime in Syria, the Druze community finds itself in the spotlight. Following armed clashes on Feb. 28 between a Druze militia and the new Syrian security forces in the city of Jaramana, near Damascus, Israel threatened to intervene in Syria if the new regime targeted this minority.In Lebanon, Druze leader Walid Jumblatt quickly denounced an Israeli intention to create dissension and planned to visit Damascus again to ease tensions, while maintaining good relations with the new Syrian regime.Far from forming a unified bloc, the Druze population, now estimated at one and a half million people according to various sources, is mainly spread between Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, and Israel. But where do the Druze come from? What are their political allegiances? L’Orient Today...
In a region undergoing upheaval since Oct. 7 and the fall of the Assad regime in Syria, the Druze community finds itself in the spotlight. Following armed clashes on Feb. 28 between a Druze militia and the new Syrian security forces in the city of Jaramana, near Damascus, Israel threatened to intervene in Syria if the new regime targeted this minority.In Lebanon, Druze leader Walid Jumblatt quickly denounced an Israeli intention to create dissension and planned to visit Damascus again to ease tensions, while maintaining good relations with the new Syrian regime.Far from forming a unified bloc, the Druze population, now estimated at one and a half million people according to various sources, is mainly spread between Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, and Israel. But where do the Druze come from? What are their political allegiances? L’Orient...