From the Golan Heights to southern Syria, Israel is standing guard over the Druze — a loyal but embattled minority whose fate may define Israel’s vision for a new regional order.
Since the October 7 massacre, the Druze have found themselves at the center of tragedy and geopolitics. The Israeli Druze community has suffered devastating IDF losses, endured the Majdal Shams rocket strike that killed 11 children, faced displacement during Operation Northern Arrows, and watched the Syrian Druze come under brutal assault from Damascus’s new regime.
Through it all, Israel’s leaders have been unequivocal: the Druze — in Israel and beyond — are under Israel’s protection. From aid deliveries to military strikes, Israel has acted decisively to shield Druze communities, while civilians and cities have rallied in solidarity.
Who Are the Druze?
The Druze are a distinct religious and ethnic group, indigenous to the Levant, numbering around a million globally. Emerging in the 11th century from Isma’ili Shi’a Islam, their monotheistic faith blends elements of Gnosticism, Neoplatonism, and Greek philosophy. It is a closed religion — no conversion in or out — with sacred knowledge revealed only to initiated members.
In Israel, about 150,000 Druze live mainly in the Galilee, Carmel, and Golan Heights. Unlike most Arab minorities, the Druze serve willingly in the IDF, forging a deep bond with the state. Since the 1956 conscription agreement, Druze soldiers have risen to elite combat and intelligence roles. Over 400 Druze soldiers have fallen defending Israel, including Col. Ehsan Daxa, one of the most senior officers killed in the Swords of Iron war.
Loyalty and Tensions
The Druze have long identified as patriotic Israelis, but tensions remain. The 2018 Nation-State Law — defining Israel as the nation-state of the Jewish people — drew sharp Druze criticism, with protests demanding recognition of their unique status. Issues over land rights and Golan wind turbine projects have also sparked clashes with police.
Beyond Israel’s Borders
In Syria, the Druze of Suwayda endured years of precarious neutrality during the civil war, only to face massacres from Islamist militias and now brutal assaults from the post-Assad regime. When the killings escalated, Druze in Israel pressured the IDF to act — and Israel did: airstrikes, troop deployments, and airdropped aid quickly led to a US-brokered ceasefire.
In Lebanon, Druze communities have clashed with Hezbollah and even formed militias after the Majdal Shams massacre. Israel has since launched its own anti-Hezbollah campaign, with Druze voices calling for Hezbollah’s expulsion from their lands.
Calls for Annexation
Some Druze leaders in Syria and Lebanon have publicly expressed loyalty to Israel, even requesting annexation of their territories. Israel remains cautious — Druze tradition is loyalty to whoever holds power — but has already begun military governance of parts of southern Syria and Lebanon where Druze live, alongside an uptick in Druze applications for Israeli citizenship.
A Test Case for a New Regional Order
The Druze are more than allies; they may be Israel’s proving ground for a post–October 7 Middle East. If Israel can protect and integrate the Druze — not just inside its borders but in hostile neighboring states — it could mark the first step toward replacing failed regimes with a Jewish and democratic-led security order.
For the Druze, survival means balancing loyalty, identity, and the realities of a volatile region. For Israel, it means proving it can defend vulnerable allies beyond its borders — and reshape the neighborhood in the process.
