Who are the Druze, the victims of a deadly strike on Israel?
The religious minority has often been caught up in regional crossfire in the Middle East

A ROCKET FLEW across Israel’s tense northern border on July 27th, and landed on a football pitch, killing 12 children and teenagers. Israel says that Hizbullah, a Lebanese militant group, is responsible; America agrees. Diplomats are now scrambling to avoid an all-out war between Israel and Hizbullah. One factor complicating the response is the fact that the victims were from Israel’s Druze minority. Who are the Druze—and why are they caught in the middle of a conflict between Israel and Lebanon?
More from The Economist explains

Would legal doping change the Olympics?
The impact would be smaller—and worse—than proponents of drug-taking claim

Do vice-presidential picks matter?
If they have any effect on an election’s result, it is at the margins

What led to the bitter controversy over an Olympics boxing match?
A mighty punch by an Algerian boxer has revived a politically charged dispute
Is this the end of Project 2025, the plan that riled Donald Trump?
The right-wing blueprint for governing has taken centre-stage in America’s presidential campaign
Who should control Western Sahara?
France becomes the latest country to back Morocco’s claim
Myanmar’s rapidly changing civil war, in maps and charts
Ethnic militias and pro-democracy groups are scoring victories against the governing junta