Join our Community
Support ToI and remove all ads
Learn more

ISRAEL AT WAR - DAY 475

Syrian Druze

Residents in the Israeli Druze village of Majdal Shams in the Golan Heights celebrate on December 9, 2024, after Islamist-led rebels declared that they had taken the Syrian capital in a lightning offensive, sending President Bashar al-Assad fleeing and ending five decades of Baath rule in Syria. (Menahem Kahana / AFP)
January 6, 2025, 6:08 am
Taboo no more: One in five Golan Druze now holds Israeli citizenship
Requests for naturalization hit an all-time high as communities warm to the idea. While future trends are unpredictable, developments in Syria will have a huge impact
By Fadi Amun in partnership with Shomrim
Families at Ein Alamein, near Had Nes, Golan Heights, on December 13, 2024. (Michael Giladi/Flash90)
December 26, 2024, 12:13 pm
Locals have conflicting emotions over plan to double Golan Heights population
Some worry that sudden influx could disrupt their idyllic rural way of life; some local Druze, loyal to Syria or their own history in the region, see it as an affront
By AP and ToI Staff
Screen capture from undated video of Syrian army weapons and ammunition collected by villagers to be handed over to the IDF. Soldiers and villagers pixelated for security reasons. (Channel 12; used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)
December 17, 2024, 11:07 am
Report: Syrian border villagers and rebels collecting weapons and handing them to IDF
Video from inside Syria shows crateloads of weapons and ammunition being loaded into trucks; IDF soldier says some contain ‘chemical warfare material’
By ToI Staff
This handout photo provided by Syria's Interim Government shows Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) leader Abu Mohammed al-Julani, now using his real name Ahmed al-Sharaa, meeting with UN Special Envoy Geir Pedersen (not pictured) in Damascus on December 15, 2024. (Syrian Interim Government/AFP)
December 17, 2024, 10:41 am
Syrian rebel leader: Territory will not be used to launch attacks against Israel
Chief of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, which ousted Assad regime, pledges commitment to 1974 buffer-zone agreement, says IDF activity in Syria ‘must end’ and Israel ‘has to pull back’
By AFP and ToI Staff
Troops of the IDF's 91st Division operate in southern Lebanon, in a handout photo issued on December 15, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)
December 16, 2024, 2:27 pm
Daily Briefing Dec. 16: Day 437 – How is the ceasefire holding? ToI reports from Lebanon
Diplomatic reporter Lazar Berman updates us on renewed optimism for a Gaza hostage release deal and why Israel is shuttering its embassy in Ireland
By Amanda Borschel-Dan and Lazar Berman
Mourners carry the flag-draped coffins of Hezbollah fighters who were killed in the recent war with Israel, during their funeral procession in the southern Lebanese village of Majdal Selm on December 6, 2024. (Mahmoud ZAYYAT / AFP)
December 14, 2024, 10:03 am
A diminished Hezbollah is made even weaker by the toppling of Assad in Syria
Developments could have major impact in Lebanon, where the Shiite movement has been the dominant player, and for Iran, which built the group into its main terror proxy
By AP and ToI Staff
Nechama Shaina Langer, center, organizer of a healing day retreat in Majdal Shams. From left, Chayals Angels founder Tasha Cohen; Megan Sellway; Naela Fakher Eldin, mother of Alma Fakher Eldin, who was killed in the July 27 Hezbollah attack; and Naela's mother, Adele Abu Jabal on September 13, 2024. (Diana Bletter/The Times of Israel)
September 17, 2024, 8:21 am
Women travel to Majdal Shams to help mothers of children killed in Hezbollah attack
Aware of the need for mental health support in the Druze town that lost 12 children, volunteers cross a cultural divide, offering alternative treatments to ease grief
By Diana Bletter
Druze women mourn by a coffin during a funeral of a child killed in a rocket strike from Lebanon a day earlier, that Israeli authorities said killed 12 people including children in the Druze town of Majdal Shams in the Golan Heights, on July 28, 2024. (Photo by Menahem Kahana / AFP)
July 28, 2024, 6:12 pm
Anger and grief mix as Majdal Shams buries 10 children killed in rocket strike
‘Lebanon should burn for this,’ says one resident amid calls in Druze town for IDF to strike back hard against Hezbollah, and for Israel to do more to protect northern residents
By Canaan Lidor
Members of the Druze community carry the body of late spiritual leader Sheikh Abu Zain Al-Din Hassan Halabi, during his funeral in the Golan Heights border town of Majdal Shams on October 30, 2020, despite a nationwide ban on mass gatherings due to the coronavirus. (Jalaa Marey/AFP)
July 28, 2024, 4:43 pm
Majdal Shams massacre highlights Solomonic predicament of Golan’s Druze community
Torn between historic allegiance to Syria and increasing acceptance of Israeli rule, community finds itself unwillingly caught up in bloody conflict after Hezbollah attack
By Gianluca Pacchiani
Local residents comfort each other as they gather at the site of a Hezbollah rocket attack on the Druze town of Majdal Shams in northern Israel, July 27, 2024.(Jalaa Marey/AFP)
July 28, 2024, 5:06 am
‘Shredded to pieces’: Druze community grieves after Hezbollah strike kills 12 children
Eyewitness says bloody carnage on Majdal Shams soccer pitch was reminiscent of October 7; Druze leaders in Lebanon, Syria condemn attack but steer clear of mentioning Hezbollah
By ToI Staff and Agencies
Druze men look out over the border between Israel and Syria near Majdal Shams in the Golan Heights on February 14, 2014. (AP/Oded Balilty)
September 3, 2022, 9:29 am
As ties to Syria fade, Golan Druze increasingly turning to Israel for citizenship
After years of eschewing offers, record numbers of Druze are quietly applying to become Israeli, motivated not by newfound Zionism, but convenience and a drift away from Damascus
By Fadi Amun in partnership with Shomrim
In this photo released by the Syrian official news agency SANA, Syrian President Bashar Assad, left, speaks with Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, before their meeting in Tehran, Syria, Monday, Feb. 25, 2019. erupted nearly eight years ago. (SANA via AP)
January 14, 2021, 4:59 pm
Iran trying to deepen roots in Syria despite signs it may no longer be welcome
An article from an Assad ally suggests that Damascus may be looking to shift away from the Shiite axis even as Tehran tries to build up local support with Lebanon-style project
By Avi Issacharoff
Residents of the Golan Heights wave Syrian and Druze flags as they gather in front of a portrait of Syrian President Bashar Assad during a protest against US President Donald Trump's recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the contested area, in the town of Majdal Shams, on March 23, 2019. (Jalaa Marey/AFP)
September 5, 2019, 12:30 pm
Police halt Druze delegation en route to Syria to meet with government officials
Authorities say group were warned their actions could compromise Israel’s security; vehicles detained at border crossing into Jordan
By ToI Staff
This photo released by the Syrian official news agency SANA on October 20, 2018, shows Abeer Shalgheen and her four children after being freed by the Islamic State jihadist group that kidnapped them on July 25 during a raid by the extremists on the southern province of Sweida, Syria. (SANA via AP)
October 20, 2018, 8:23 pm
Islamic State frees 6 Syrian Druze women, children in deal with Assad regime
Monitor says IS to receive 60 of its prisoners, $27 million as part of swap for members of ethno-religious minority taken captive in the war’s deadliest attack on the community
By Bachir El Khoury
This picture taken from Syria shows the United Nations peacekeepers bunkers and Israeli part of the Quneitra border crossing as Syrian officials prepare for its reopening on October 15, 2018. (Photo by LOUAI BESHARA / AFP)
October 16, 2018, 3:04 am
At Golan crossing reopening, Druze yearn to see family soon
Sole crossing between Israel’s Golan Heights and Syria had been closed for seven years after being overrun by jihadists during the Syrian civil war
By Maher Al Mounes
Load More
Sign in or Register
Please use the following structure: example@domain.com
Or Continue with
By registering you agree to the terms and conditions
Register to continue
Or Continue with
Log in to continue
Sign in or Register
I forgot my password / Send me a sign in link
Or Continue with
check your email
Check your email
We sent an email to you at .
It has a link that will sign you in.
Never miss breaking news on Israel
Get notifications to stay updated
You're subscribed
image
Register for free
and continue reading
Registering also lets you comment on articles and helps us improve your experience. It takes just a few seconds.
Already registered? Enter your email to sign in.
Please use the following structure: example@domain.com
Or Continue with
By registering you agree to the terms and conditions. Once registered, you’ll receive our Daily Edition email for free.
Register to continue
Or Continue with
Log in to continue
Sign in or Register
I forgot my password / Send me a sign in link
Or Continue with
check your email
Check your email
We sent an email to you at .
It has a link that will sign you in.