Intense clashes recently broke out between Syrian government forces and pro-Assad regime fighters who had declared their opposition to the new government. Social media trolls widely circulated photos and videos claiming to show Syrians killed by the government. Misbar's team investigated the disinformation that spread after the unrest.
Syria Unrest Claims Hundreds of Lives
Syria is experiencing its deadliest unrest since new rulers took power in December. Violence erupted in Syria’s coastal region as government security forces clashed with gunmen loyal to ousted President Bashar al-Assad.
According to a war monitor, clashes have killed over 1,300 people, including many civilians. The violence escalated when Assad loyalists ambushed security forces, triggering days of intense fighting.
Protests spread across multiple cities, while heavy clashes gripped Latakia and Tartus provinces, the stronghold of Syria’s Alawite minority, which once backed al-Assad. Alawites, who make up about 10 percent of Syria’s population, belong to an offshoot of Shiite Islam.
Syrians are demanding accountability for crimes committed under Assad’s rule. Syrian President Ahmed al-Shara vowed to prosecute senior regime figures while ensuring stability and protecting the rights of all Syrians.
Pro-Assad Former Regime Spread Disinformation Over Killing Minorities
As of Saturday evening, at least 1,311 people have been killed in the ongoing violence, according to a March 9 report by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR). The casualties include approximately 830 civilians, 230 security personnel from various branches, and around 250 armed fighters.
Despite the confirmed deaths, social media is flooded with misleading photos and videos falsely claiming to show individuals from Syrian minorities killed during the recent unrest.
Social media trolls widely circulated a video clip claiming to show a Syrian woman’s final moments before al-Sharaa’s forces stormed her home during a live broadcast and killed her and her children.
An X user shared the video with the caption, “Al-Jolani's ISIS stormed her house on live broadcast... The body of this doctor and her children were found murdered in the house. And this is her last message.”
Misbar’s team investigated the video and found the claim to be misleading. The woman in the footage is Dr. Kinana Ali, who later posted another Facebook video confirming that she and her children are safe.
She clarified that her previous video was a warning about individuals attempting to storm her home but did not mention they were from the Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham faction as circulated.
Social media users also circulated a photo of a woman, falsely claiming it features Dr. Sahar Boutrous, who was allegedly killed by al-Sharaa's forces.
Misbar’s team discovered a post on X by the woman in the circulated photo, denying the claim. She clarified that her name is Sahar Shaba, an American citizen residing in Nevada.
She also warned against the misuse of her photo in connection with the ongoing clashes in Syria.
Netizens also circulated a video falsely claiming to show a man beheaded by HTS forces during the ongoing clashes.
An X user shared the footage with the caption, “HTS militants behead a man. Children and women crying can be heard in the background.”
Misbar investigated the video and found the claim to be misleading.
A thorough reverse image search found the video to be originally published by an Indian YouTube channel on March 7, 2022, under the title: “Kashtabhanjan: A fierce attack on ghosts in Bhagwanpur Balaji Dham.”
Upon reviewing the video, the person shown was not beheaded but had placed their head inside a small hole in the ground.
Furthermore, pro-former regime users widely circulated a photo claiming it shows a girl killed by Syrian forces during the recent unrest. The photo features a black ribbon in the upper left corner.
An X user shared the photo with the caption: “In the massacre of the Türkiye-backed ISIS regime in Syria, 2500-3000 people including children and women were killed. But the USA, UN, EU are SILENT.”
Misbar's team investigated the circulating photo and found the claim to be misleading.
A thorough reverse image search found that the photo was taken from a video uploaded to a Chinese website on December 11, 2024, showing a fashion model.
Trolls also circulated a photo falsely claiming to show two dead children on the ground as recent victims of the ongoing conflict.
An X user shared the photo with the caption: “People in Syria are being killed by al-Jolani and his men because they are not Muslim—innocent children, women, and men.”
Misbar’s team reviewed the photo and found the claim to be misleading.
A thorough investigation traced the photo to its earliest publication in May 2013.
The photo originally appeared on a website showing bodies lying in a street in Baniyas after pro-Assad forces carried out a sectarian massacre in Baniyas and Bayda, killing more than 140 people, according to reports.
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