Disinformation Campaign by Assad Loyalists Follows Failed Coup Attempt
After their failed coup against President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s government, Assad's supporters spread disinformation to incite sectarian strife and destabilize Syria's new administration.
Watan-Social media platforms are witnessing a widespread disinformation campaign led by remnants of the Assad regime, following the failure of their coup attempt against the government of President Ahmed al-Sharaa.
Exploiting the clashes that erupted between the security forces of the new Syrian administration and armed elements loyal to the former regime, Assad’s followers resorted to fabricating images and videos and spreading misleading news aimed at distorting reality and inciting sectarian strife.
According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the number of civilian deaths has exceeded 700, while security forces confirmed the arrest of dozens of remnants of the regime who attempted to exploit these clashes electronically after their failed coup attempt.
Assad Loyalists Use Disinformation to Fuel Sectarian Strife
One of the main disinformation tactics was placing the blame for the deaths of Alawite civilians on the Sharaa government by circulating images of children allegedly killed by the public security forces. However, it was later revealed that some of these images were from incidents in Russia, Korea, and Palestine, with no connection to the events on Syria‘s coast.
The disinformation did not stop at images but extended to manipulating statements made by President Ahmed al-Sharaa using artificial intelligence. A fabricated statement was circulated, claiming that Sharaa had announced the arrest of Houthi elements who had infiltrated Syria from Lebanon to participate in the coup attempt. However, this statement was false and part of efforts to create internal tension and destabilize the new government.
On the other hand, President Ahmed al-Sharaa emphasized that security forces would pursue the remnants of the previous regime and hold accountable anyone who spread chaos or attacked civilians, stressing that Syria is one and unified. Observers pointed out that Assad’s remnants did not hesitate to target civilians, carrying out killings of women and children and setting fire to the bodies of security personnel in an attempt to instill fear and chaos.
The coup failed, but the information battle continues, as Assad’s followers and architects of the counter-revolution seek to distort the new Syrian landscape by widely spreading lies. Will Sharaa’s government succeed in dismantling disinformation networks and exposing the falsehoods of misleading propaganda?
