Israel sent 10,000 food packages to Druze in Syria in recent weeks, the Foreign Ministry says.Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, who is credited by his office with initiating the effort, says the packages are part of a pact between minority communities in the Middle East.

A delegation of Druze religious elders from Syria crossed into Israel on Friday for the first such visit in more than 50 years, underscoring Israel's backing for the community amid growing tensions with the new government in Damascus.

Syrian Druze crossed into the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights for the first time in 50 years Early on Friday morning, a group of Syrian men crossed into the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights through a UN-monitored buffer zone.