Israel’s defense ministry on Saturday said the military has been instructed to prepare to defend a Druze settlement in the suburbs of Damascus, asserting that the minority it has vowed to protect was “under attack” by Syrian forces.

Israel’s defense minister says minority Druze in Jaramana a town south of Damascus, were under attack from the new Syrian regime and that he ordered Israeli forces to be poised to help protect them if necessary.

Druze leaders in Jaramana dismiss Israel’s offer of protection, reaffirming their Syrian identity amid increasing tensions with the government and armed factions [Damascus] Jaramana, a town near the Syrian capital of Damascus,