Deadly clashes in Syria's Druze spark unrest fears
Deadly clashes near Damascus between Islamist armed groups, security forces, and fighters from the Druze religious minority highlight the ongoing fragility of Syria’s security situation following the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad.
Outside players have once again been involved, with Israel saying it carried out air strikes to protect Druze civilians.
It marks another fault-line in Syria, which has been left fractured and divided in the wake of 13 years of devastating civil war and decades of authoritarian rule by the Assad dynasty.
The new Syrian authorities have said they are determined to bring unity and stability, but many inside and outside the country still point to their roots in jihadism and remain suspicious of their agenda.
Before President Assad was toppled, his rule had been re-established in the main cities in Syria and along the highways between them - as well as the coastal heartland of the Alawite sect to which his family belongs.
But there were other regions partially or almost completely out of his control.
They included Idlib in the north, from where Syria's current leader Ahmed al-Sharaa led his Islamist rebel faction Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) - a former al-Qaeda affiliate - to victory last December.
In the north-east, Syrian Kurdish forces maintained semi-autonomy throughout the civil war and beyond.
And south of Damascus, the Druze have also had some limited autonomy.
Those divisions remain, although the Alawite areas are now the most serious flashpoints for Syria's new rulers.
In March, days of fighting between security forces and fighters still loyal to Assad left hundreds of people dead, including civilians. Other armed factions loosely affiliated to the new authorities also became involved and carried out revenge killings against local Alawites.
Such violence is the biggest fear both for those who support Sharaa and those who are against him.
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