Israel ramped up airstrikes in Syria on Wednesday following reports that members of theDruze religious minority were being massacred by militant Islamists, shining a spotlight on a unique community that has lived in the region for more than a thousand years and remains tightly connected despite being scattered across international borders.Around 150,000 Druze live in Israels north and on the Golan Heights, but there are also large communities in Syria and Lebanon neighboring countries that have technically been at war with Israel for decades and a smaller group in Jordan.An esoteric, monotheistic religionthat incorporates elements of other Abrahamic religions, as well as several other philosophies, the Druze, an Arabic-speaking population, view themselves as one people despite the hostile borders that divide them.ISRAEL STRIKES SYRIAS MILITARY HEADQAURTERS AS THE REGIME CLASHES WITH DRUZE CIVILIANSAs their religion dictates loyalty to the country in which they live, most of those that live in Israel are proud citizens, with an overwhelming 83% of the menenlisting in the Israeliarmy. Roughly 5%of all Israel Defense Forces soldiers are Druze, and they are some of the countrys fiercest warriors.Additionally, the Druze account for around20% of Israels prison guards and about6.5% of the countryspolice officers.This dedication has earned them a special place in Israeli society, pushing Israeli political and military leaders to promise action if the Druze community in Syria is threatened in any way.As reports surfaced that Islamists, and regime-backed loyalists, had clashed withDruze militia in southern Syria on Tuesday, more than a thousand young Israeli Druze citizens rushed across the border in a bid to rescue their brethren, Israeli media reported.Reports showed hundreds of people, including some who were armed, breaking down the border fence and rushing into nearby Druze villages in Syria.In a briefing on Wednesday, an Israeli military official explained that many members of Israels Druze community have close relatives living in Syria but said Israel was now working to bring them home."The IDF is committed to the deep alliance with the Druze community," IDF chief of staff Eyal Zamir emphasized.Professor Eyal Zisser, a leading Israeli academic expert on Syria and the Druze community, told Fox News Digital that it was a "unique" situation.WHY SYRIA PLAYS A KEY ROLE IN TRUMPS PLANS FOR MIDDLE EAST PEACE"Israels Druze community is putting pressure on the government, so for domestic reasons Israel has to deal with this," he said, adding that the current Israeli government "believes in using force to appease its base and show that it is strong and using power, or whatever is needed."This is not the first time, Israels Druze have rushed to protect their community in Syria.In 2015, when Druze there came under threat from ISIS andfrom the local al Qaeda affiliate, Jabhat al-Nusra, Druze in Israel worked to raise funds and arms for their brethren across the border.CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APPIn April, months after the fall of longtime Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad in December, hundreds of SyrianDruze clerics crossed the border taking a rare trip to Israel to celebrate the communitys holiday of Ziyara at the Nabi Shuaib holy site, just west of the Sea of Galilee.