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.

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.

Israeli strikes blow up part of the defence ministry and hit close to the presidential palace. Read more at straitstimes.com. Read more at straitstimes.com.

Spread across Syria, Lebanon and Israel, the secretive religious minority has long balanced integration and independence. Now, members are at the heart of the region’s shifting power struggles.

Benjamin Netanyahu's government has now set its sights on Syria after success against Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran

Israel, which has murdered over 60,000 Palestinians - most of them women and children - in Gaza, wounded more than 130,000, and destroyed nearly 80 percent of the territory’s buildings, cannot now masquerade as a protector of minorities.

A video clip circulating on social media in recent months shows Syria’s new president, Ahmed al-Shara, astride a handsome black horse in a sand riding ring with a few thick palm trees. He is alone, wearing a trim leather jacket, as the high-stepping horse circles within the ring.

Emirates has officially resumed operations in Damascus, Syria, after a 13-year hiatus, reestablishing the city amongst its Middle East destinations.