Israel said it carried out a strike in Syria against "an extremist group" that attacked members of the Druze community, following through on a promise to defend the minority group as deadly sectarian violence spread near Damascus on Wednesday.

Syria’s small Druze community largely kept out of the country’s long civil war but since president Bashar al-Assad’s ouster in December it has found

Hundreds of armed Druze men are seen setting up positions to defend their towns after dozens killed in attacks near Damascus by Islamists loyal to new government