Entities affiliated with or close to the Syrian regime warned against video or audio recordings that might be released by the opposition as part of its “media war” against the regime, relying on “artificial intelligence.”
The latest warning was issued by the Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Syrian Army and Armed Forces, Minister of Defense General Ali Mahmoud Abbas, on Thursday, December 5. He stated that what he referred to as “terrorist organizations,” in reference to opposition factions, are working to exploit their control of the city of Hama in the media during the past hours.
He mentioned that these factions are conducting a “false disinformation campaign” aimed at spreading chaos, and “may resort to issuing fake statements or orders in the name of the General Command of the Army and Armed Forces or releasing audio recordings or fabricated videos using artificial intelligence technology.”
Abbas urged civilians and military personnel to “be aware of the dangers of this disinformation campaign, not to believe it, and to adhere to what is published exclusively through official national channels.”
He considered that what happened in the city of Hama (the opposition’s control and the regime’s withdrawal) was a “tactical procedure,” indicating that his forces “are still in the vicinity of the city and are fully prepared and ready to carry out their ‘national and constitutional duties,'” as he put it.
The Minister of Defense’s statement preceded news broadcast by the official Syrian television, warning against “fabricated videos using artificial intelligence targeting the state and its higher institutions.”
The same warning was carried by the Al-Watan newspaper, close to the regime, via Facebook, and was republished by the Syrian official news agency (SANA).
The opposition factions managed to control the city of Hama and large parts of the eastern and western countryside as part of the “Deterrence of Aggression” operation. The takeover coincided with the announcement of the regime’s withdrawal of its forces from inside the city and repositioning on its outskirts.
The opposition factions reached the city of Hama last Saturday, then withdrew from it, after the Syrian regime gathered its forces in the city.
The control of Hama came as an extension of battles launched by opposition factions, during which they completely took over the city of Aleppo and large parts of the province’s countryside, as well as the entire administrative border of Idlib province.
The battle launched by the opposition on November 27 was titled “Deterrence of Aggression,” extending from the western countryside of Aleppo, eastern Idlib, reaching central Syria, amid a continuous retreat of regime forces, which reached the administrative borders of Homs province today.