Israel has sent humanitarian aid to Druze communities in Syria over the past few weeks, its foreign ministry said on Thursday, in a further sign of Israel's support for the minority group.

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - A group of around 100 senior figures from Syria's Druze are expected to visit the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights on Friday, members of the community said, in a further sign of Israel's support for the minority group.

The post Israel says 10,000 aid packages sent to Syrian Druze, part of ‘minority alliance’ appeared first on The Times of Israel.

Israel said on Monday that it was willing to defend Syria's Druze community following days of violence in Syria that a war monitor said led to mass killings of another religious minority. The violence began last week between fighters linked to Syria's new government and forces loyal to ousted president Bashar al-Assad.

Israel has dropped 10,000 humanitarian aid packages to Druze communities in southern Syria, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar disclosed on Thursday. The Israeli military is coordinating the deliveries with Sheikh Mowafaq Tarif,

Members of the small religious sect find themselves caught between two forces that many of them distrust: the new, Islamist-led government in Damascus and Syria’s hostile neighbor, Israel, which has used the plight of the Druze as a pretext to intervene in the country.

Israel's Defence Ministry said on Sunday it would let Syrian Druze workers enter the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights from Syrian territory, without saying when the government would start issuing permits.

Israel’s Defense Ministry announced on Sunday that it will permit Syrian Druze workers to enter the disputed Golan Heights territory from Syria, although no timeline has been provided for when permits will start being issued.

Israel is preparing to "soon" allow Syrian Druze to work in the Golan Heights, Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Sunday."We will soon allow Druze workers from Syria to work in the Golan Heights communities in Israel,

The Syrian Druze were a minority in the Assad era who mostly kept to themselves, with some past positive history with Israel.