FACT CHECK: Viral X Image Of Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad Is Not Recent
A viral image shared on X claims to show Syrian President Bashar al-Assad arriving in Damascus following a visit to Russia.
نورت سورية يا كبير
وصل السيد الرئيس بشار الأسد إلى دمشق عائداً من روسيا pic.twitter.com/QZw3zRDFxU— عمر رحمون (@Rahmon83) November 30, 2024
Verdict: False
The claim is false, as the image shows al-Assad visiting Abu Dhabi in March 2023, according to Aden Hura and Reuters, respectively.
Fact Check:
The Kremlin said Monday it still supports al-Assad following attacks in Syria by Islamist insurgents, according to Reuters. Assad has vowed to crush the insurgents who have seized control of the Idlib province, the outlet reported.
The X image, viewed over 800,000 times as of writing, claims to show al-Assad arriving in Damascus following a visit to Russia.
“President Bashar al-Assad arrived in Damascus returning from Russia,” the image’s caption reads. In the image, al-Assad, dressed in a suit, can be seen disembarking from a plane.
The claim is false. Check Your Fact conducted a reverse image search and found the image featured in a March 2023 article from the website, “Aden Hura.” According to the same article, al-Assad visited Abu Dhabi at the time. The Syrian President made an official visit to the United Arab Emirates with his wife, Reuters reported. His 2023 visit was preceded by a 2022 visit, which was his first since the Syrian civil war began in 2011, the outlet indicated.
Likewise, Check Your Fact found no credible news reports to support the claim. Actually, the opposite is true. On Dec. 2, Misbar debunked the claim. The claim appears to have circulated online following unofficial media reports suggesting al-Assad had landed in Moscow amid attacks by opposition factions in Syria, according to Misbar.
In addition, the claim is not referenced on @Presidency_Sy, an X account that appears to be dedicated to the Syrian president. While the account’s bio states it is an official account, the account is not verified. (RELATED: Did Sadiq Khan Say Farmers Protesting In The UK Is ‘Another Example Of Racism?’)
al-Assad has been president of Syria since July 2000, according to Al Jazeera.
