Prominent Lebanese Druze leader, Walid Jumblatt, announced that he will soon visit Syria to meet its interim leader amidst tensions between the Druze minority group, the interim government, and Israel. Jumblatt warned of Israel's plots and called for caution among the free Syrians. The Druze religious sect, a minority group that originated from Ismailism, has been clashing with government security forces in Syria. Israel has also pushed its forces into southern Syria to create a demilitarized buffer zone.