ALBAWABA - On Friday, many social media accounts claimed that Maher Assad, brother of former Syrian President Bashar Assad, will return to Syria causing chaos in the Syrian coastal cities.
The claim was first made by a Syrian man, identified as Noor H., who posted online that the Russian jets have increased their movement and allegedly said that they are preparing for the return of Maher Assad, a Syrian former military officer who served as commander of the Syrian Army's elite 4th Armoured Division.
Despite that after 3 minutes, Noor H. said on his account saying he was joking in the previous post, however, the few minutes were able to shake the Syrian community and cause chaos among people.
Multiple "pro-Assad" accounts online reshared fake details after the claim by the Syrian man that Maher Assad is coming back to the country.
Taakad, a platform specializing in verifying news in Syria, said that the information Nour posted was just a baseless rumor.
On the other hand, the new Syrian administration denied, on Saturday, the occurrence of unrest in the coastal provinces and cities and the return of Maher Assad to the Syrian coast.
The Press Relations Office at the Ministry of Information said, "Fake pages and electronic flies have appeared on social media sites, working to incite sectarian strife and spread rumours, with the aim of creating chaos and media confusion."
Furthermore, a new claim was made online that Maher Assad was allegedly "arrested inside a villa near Safita and transferred to trial" in Damascus by the new Syrian authority. However, no sources have also confirmed this rumor.
Since the toppling of the former Syrian regime on December 8, 2024, an unconfirmed rumor emerged that Maher Assad left Syria for Moscow via Iraq.
