With Israel on their side, the Druze of southern Syria, and perhaps Lebanon, have hope for a brighter future.

“If the regime harms the Druze, it will be harmed by us,” Netanyahu and Katz said in joint statement.

Historically loyal to the Assad regime, the ethno-religious minority fears retribution by Islamist forces that ousted the dictator.

The war has claimed painful sacrifices from the community, but solidarity and a sense of shared fate with the Jewish state remain strong.

“Why is Beirut still standing?” townspeople ask ministers at mass funeral.

After decades of loyalty to the Assad regime, Syria’s Druze minority feels besieged by the Iranian axis. Hezbollah’s attack on Majdal Shams may prove the final straw.

Most Druze are seen and see themselves as loyal citizens of the State of Israel. But on the Golan, the winds seem to be changing.

Incident comes days after Palestinian terrorists snatched the body of an Israeli Druze teenager killed in a car accident.

And yet another example of how Israel is most definitely not an “apartheid” state.