Enab Baladi – Hani Karazi
In recent days, numerous misleading videos have spread on social media, causing chaos and security challenges in several regions of Syria, particularly along the Syrian coast. The remnants of the former Assad regime exploited media deception as a weapon to incite discord and disrupt the security situation following the regime’s fall.
Chaos erupted significantly following the dissemination of a video on December 25, 2024, in which its publishers claimed it was filmed recently, and that armed men entered the shrine of Sheikh Abu Abdullah Hussein al-Khasibi, which holds great significance for followers of the Alawite sect, and burned the shrine while killing the individuals guarding it.
The video quickly spread widely, prompting protests in the cities of Latakia, Tartus, Homs, Jableh, and Qardaha, in response to claims of an assault on Sheikh al-Khasibi’s shrine in Aleppo.
Protesters carried banners and echoed sectarian slogans, causing chaos and concern over clashes due to sectarian incitement, which the new authority is trying to avoid, according to its official rhetoric.
The Verify/Taakad platform, specialized in verifying news accuracy, sought to investigate the video’s validity, ultimately revealing that it was indeed authentic but outdated, filmed at the beginning of December 2024 during clashes ongoing in Aleppo.
The platform stated, citing local sources in Aleppo, that the shrine is located in a closed area accessible only with permission from the General Command, which has taken over several surrounding buildings as its security and military headquarters, including the Hanano Barracks, which is separated from the shrine by just one wall.
Sources confirmed that members of the Military Operations Administration are present inside the shrine and pledged to hold the aggressors accountable. They clarified that the deceased individuals seen in the recording belong to regime forces, who were engaged in combat with opposition factions from within the shrine and are not the shrine’s guards as stated on social media platforms.
Motives for spreading discord
The misleading videos weren’t limited to the burning of the shrine in Aleppo; many other clips circulated claiming the killing of individuals from the Alawite sect, but it was found that they were old videos taken from Islamic State visual publications.
Additionally, a video circulated claiming to document a gathering of civilians from the Alawite sect preparing for their killing, yet upon investigation, it turned out to involve Syrian soldiers gathering at the Iraqi border in preparation for their return to Syria.
Taakad platform reported that an employee from Meta (the owner of Facebook) informed them that one of the accounts that posted the shrine burning video in Aleppo was created by a profile named “Raad al-Assad,” which appears to be active in Damascus according to its IP information.
It also turned out that this account is linked to a large network that manages other pages working on misleading video dissemination with clear aims.
Syrian writer Hafiz Qarqout believes that Iran and its allies from the Lebanese Hezbollah may be behind these new videos to destabilize Syria. Since the beginning of the Syrian revolution, Tehran has provided the regime assistance in monitoring phones and the internet, sending a technical team to propagate rumors and incite sectarian conflict to serve its interests.
Qarqout added to Enab Baladi that the remnants of the former regime also possess expertise in media deception; thereby, it serves their interests to instigate discord and sectarian war, allowing them to evade accountability or fail establishing a state capable of prosecuting them, especially regarding those involved in murder, torture, corruption, and drug trafficking.
The Foreign Minister of the Damascus caretaker government, Asaad al-Shibani, warned Iran against spreading chaos in Syria, holding it accountable for the consequences of its statements regarding Syria.
This comes after comments from Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, mentioning that one cannot judge developments in Syria since many factors affect the country’s future, and that there will be many developments, thus “it is too early to issue a judgment in this regard.”
On December 28, 2024, the Arab League warned against “igniting discord” in Syria, stating that it is “monitoring with concern the events occurring in several cities and regions in Syria aimed at igniting the flame of discord in the country.”
It expressed confidence in the capacity of the Syrian people, all its components and leadership, to maintain civil peace and national unity during this critical phase, emerging from this extended ordeal stronger than before, and regaining its effective role in its Arab, regional, and international surroundings.
Action against misinformation
Following the increase in the spread of misleading videos and information in recent days, which contributed to creating a type of chaos, particularly in coastal Syrian areas, efforts to combat media deception began to accelerate.
To ensure sourcing information, videos, and images from reliable sources to prevent media deception, the Syrian News Agency (SANA) published links to the official channels of all ministries and local councils affiliated with the Damascus interim government.
Moreover, the Ministry of Information issued a statement forbidding the circulation or publication of any media content or sectarian news intended to cause division and discrimination among the components of the Syrian people, emphasizing that any violation of this decision will expose the offenders to legal accountability.
In this context, the Taakad platform issued a statement, asserting it has contacted Meta company demanding the deletion of misleading videos that stirred discord in the Syrian coast in recent days. An employee advised them to inform the temporary Damascus government’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs to communicate with Meta headquarters in the Emirates, demanding the closure of those pages.
Taakad Director Ahmad Primo stated to Enab Baladi that following the issuance of the statement, a diplomatic source from the Syrian Foreign Ministry contacted Taakad and informed them that a statement will be issued and a formal communication with Meta will occur to close misleading pages.
Primo noted that the Director of Public Policy for Meta in the Levant sent them direct contact methods for timely reporting any misleading pages and videos, adding, “Following direct communication with (Meta), we began to notice immediate action from the company to delete any videos or posts promoting violence, based on complaints we provide periodically.”
However, Primo stated that the removal of misleading videos by Facebook management is insufficient, as these pages remain active, and there is a need to dismantle a wide network that spreads discord by intensifying misleading content, rumors, and sectarian posts.
Awareness as a means of countering discord
Some platforms and media institutions maintain direct communication channels with employees at Meta through the trusted partner program, enabling direct reporting of misleading or violent content or content that defames individuals.
For regular users reporting misleading or violent content or content with defamation, the reports undergo several phases and AI-driven programs, based on specific criteria that assess the severity of the reports before reaching Meta employees; thus, it takes time before addressing the reports.
Primo believes there are social media campaigns by journalists and activists urging reporting of those pages, which is very crucial because Facebook or Meta tends to move faster to delete such content if they receive a significant number of reports on pages inciting violence and sectarianism.
Primo stressed the importance of awareness among social media users, advocating for them to verify the source of information critically and ascertain if the source is credible and reputable, meaning that the account is generally known not to disseminate misleading information or false news.
He confirmed that the Damascus government’s announcement of its official identities is a very significant step taken at a critical time, aiding users in acquiring information from reliable sources, urging the government to promptly address any individual violations, issue continuous follow-up statements, and open closed doors for journalists to document events freely.
Meanwhile, university professor Mohammad al-Ahmad, one of the founders of the coastal gathering, advised all Syrians to calm down and adopt a spirit of national unity, stating, “I am aware of the extent of violations committed by al-Assad against the Syrian people, but we must act on state logic aiming at establishing national stability for the benefit of all.”
As-Suwayda experience as a successful model
The former Syrian regime adopted a policy of media deception particularly after the Syrian revolution broke out in 2011 and protests intensified. It established electronic armies to support itself in the media while exaggerating its praise and targeting opposition sites to breach and silence local activists.
Among the most notable of these pages was the “Syrian Electronic Army,” a virtual group that targeted opposition sites and was attributed with breaching a site linked to the US Marines in 2013.
Hafiz Qarqout believes that the local civil society has a significant role in raising awareness and countering sectarian incitement, through community leaders in the coastal area and other regions, enabling them to mobilize all their resources to close any potential gaps, “to demonstrate to the world that we can create a conducive environment and control any hotspot that may generate sectarian problems.”
Qarqout highlighted that the former regime had numerous attempts to stir discord, with As-Suwayda being a prime example, where the regime sought to incite trouble between Druze and Sunnis, between Druze and tribes, and between As-Suwayda and Daraa, employing its intelligence services and seeking the assistance of specific figures, including Wiam Wahhab, Talal Arslan, and Samir Kuntar to fuel sectarian incitement.
Qarqout emphasized that the regime failed to ignite discord in As-Suwayda due to the roles of local leaders and the awareness of its inhabitants; thus, other regions of Syria must learn from the As-Suwayda experience in countering the sectarian circumstances fed by the regime for years before the revolution’s victory, falsely alleging that extremists aimed to rule Syria and persecute minorities, but the ground reality has proven the lies of the ousted Bashar al-Assad.