At the center of a crisis in Syria are the Druze — a secretive religious minority that long carved out a precarious identity across Syria, Lebanon and Israel.

Father Tony Boutros is a Catholic priest in Sweida, southern Syria. He is no stranger to ethnic unrest; in 2015, he was kidnapped during a spate of abductions of Christians in the country.

Sharaa, has vowed to protect the Druze minority amid deadly clashes in their heartland. A UK-based war monitor has put the death toll from the sectarian violence at 360. DW has more.

The White House is attributing the outbreak of violence in the Middle East between the Syrian government and Israel to a "misunderstanding" over ethnic grudges.

In Syria, Druze fighters have clashed both with neighbouring Bedouin tribes and with forces loyal to the Islamist government, as they have struggled to find their place in the new order ushered in by the December overthrow of longtime president Bashar al-Assad.

The Druze faith has deep connection to Greek philosophy, especially Pythagorean and Platonic thought, and its belief in reincarnation.

Sana says women and children among those killed by armed groups following withdrawal of government forces in Sweida

In southern Syria, the government has deployed security forces and pleaded for all sides to stick to a ceasefire after sectarian clashes this week. Despite this, fighting between Druze groups and Arab fighters and Bedouin tribes continues.

After days of bloodshed in Syria's Druze city of Sweida, survivors emerged to collect and bury the scores of dead found across the city.