At least 16 civilians and security officials have been killed in clashes in a town near Damascus, the second consecutive day of fighting in Druze-majority areas around Syria's capital. An attack on the Druze-majority Damascus suburb of Jaramana a day earlier left at least ten people. The Druze are an Arab religious minority of about 500,000 people in Syria, mainly concentrated in Suwayda governorate (green on the map below) and small towns south of Damascus. Israel has said it will protect the Druze population in southern Syria, an offer that Syrian Druze have said they did not ask for. Photo: Druze funeral

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