DAMASCUS Israeli troops stand guard as members of Syria's Druze community cross walk towards the fence to cross into the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights near Majdal Shams on July 17, 2025. Syrian troops on Thursday pulled out of the Druze heartland of Sweida on the orders of the government, following days of deadly clashes that killed nearly 600 people, according to a war monitor. The southern province has been gripped by deadly sectarian bloodshed since Sunday, with hundreds reportedly killed in