Israel has threatened to increase its involvement in Syria and vowed to protect the Druze religious minority, which began as a 10th-century offshoot of Ismailism, a branch of Shiite Islam, the Associated Press reported. Most of the world’s Druze population lives in Syria, with the rest predominantly in Israel and Lebanon.

Israel struck Syrian military targets as well as central Damascus on Wednesday (July 16) in what it says is an effort to protect Druze minority communities in southern Syria. Sean Hogan has more.