The violence in Syria, pitting the new Syrian government of Ahmed Shaara against the Druze community, has focused attention on the small but influential minority. Located in Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Israel and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, the Druze occupy a special niche in the region's complex politics.
Israel cited protecting the Druze as the reason for its attacks on the Islamist government's forces this week.
The Druze are Arabs who follow a religion that stems from a branch of Islam. They maintain a degree of secrecy about the practice of their faith, which emerged in the 11th century and incorporates elements of Islam and other philosophies, emphasizing monotheism, reincarnation and the pursuit of truth, Reuters wrote in an explanatory text.
Some hardline Sunni Muslims consider them heretics. Syria's interim president, Ahmed Sharaa, an Islamist who was once part of al-Qaeda, called them part of the Syrian community and pledged to protect their rights in a speech on Thursday.
Syrian Druze are concentrated in the southwest of the country in the Sweida region, bordering Jordan, and in areas of Quneitra province, near the occupied Golan Heights. They also live in the Damascus suburb of Jaramana. In Israel, Druze live mainly in the north and in the highlands. In Lebanon, they are concentrated in mountainous areas, including Houf and Alei, and others such as Hasbaya in southern Lebanon.
Although a small minority, the Druze have often played an extremely important role in the politics of the countries in which they live.
In Israel, the Druze number 150,000. Unlike the Palestinian Arab citizens of Israel, many Druze serve in the Israeli army and police, including during the Gaza War, and some have reached high ranks, meaning their voices cannot easily be ignored by Israel's political leadership.
While most Druze in Israel identify as Israeli citizens, over 20,000 people living in the Golan Heights still identify as Syrians and have close ties to their families across the border.
Faced with calls from Israeli Druze to help the Syrian Druze, Israeli leaders have cited their protection as a reason for their repeated attacks on Syria this year.
The Druze population in Syria is estimated to number around 1 million. They have held some protests against Bashar al-Assad since the war broke out in 2011, but there has been little conflict between them and Damascus as he has focused on trying to quell the uprising in Sunni-majority areas.
Since Assad was ousted in December, friction with Islamist-led authorities has sparked fighting several times.
While some Druze leaders have pushed for a deal with Damascus, others have come out strongly against Sharia, notably Sheikh Hikmet al-Hajari, who has called for resistance to government forces and addressed world leaders, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, during this week's violence.
Some Druze figures have criticized this approach.
Lebanese leader Walid Jumblatt, one of the most prominent politicians from the Druze community in the region, rejected the idea that Israel was protecting the Syrian Druze. He warned against calls for international protection and called for national unity for Syria.
Israel bombed Syria frequently when Assad was in power, trying to reduce the influence established by Iran and Iranian-backed groups stationed there to help him fight the rebels.
Israel has portrayed the new Syrian government as a jihadist threat, saying it will not allow it to deploy forces in southern Syria. Israel has said it wants to avoid any hostile buildup on its border, while also vowing to protect the Druze minority.
Israeli troops have also occupied Syrian territory adjacent to the Golan Heights since December.
On Thursday, Sharaa said Israel was encouraging division among Syrians, accusing it of seeking to "destroy the unity of our people", saying it had "consistently attacked our stability and created discord among us since the fall of the previous regime."