Syria's Druze minority is seeking their place in a changing nation as they navigate pressures from the new government and Israel. The Druze, who have a long history of cutting their own path, find themselves caught between the Islamist-led government and Israel, which has used their plight as a pretext to intervene. Many religious and ethnic communities in Syria are concerned about their place in the new system, as the transitional government has so far kept authority in the hands of the Islamist former insurgents who toppled Assad. Druze armed militias have been reluctant to give up their arms, fearing government hostility and potential separatism accusations.