Al Arabiya--one of the more grotesque war propagandizing outlets with the blood of Syrians on its hands--is sharing leaked videos of Bashar al-Assad from 2018, filmed (some clips likely secretly) by his former advisor, Luna al-Shibl. These videos are being widely shared on social media, so I wanted to add my comments.

The sleazy media outlet is framing the leaked videos in ways to incriminate Assad as laughing at the Syrian people, but it is easy to see they are taken out of context and that Luna was the one making sneering remarks and commentary.

In the attached video (a clip from a longer ~5 minute compilation), it is she mocking Syrian soldiers, not him.

Regarding the "to hell with Ghouta" comment Assad made:

Given that the whole Ghouta fake chemical attack was orchestrated by the regime change axis via their terrorist proxies, who could blame him for saying that? Does it mean "To hell with the people of Ghouta"? No. I read it as, "To hell with this Western/Gulf project that was designed to be a pretext to tear apart Syria," not, "to hell with the people trapped, starved and tortured by terrorists in Ghouta."

Keep in mind, also, that Ghouta had been for years prior the hotbed of terrorism from which shells hit Damascus homes and streets, maiming untold numbers, and killing over 10,000 civilians (in Damascus). Some context deliberately omitted from clickbait media.

Leaking this footage is for the purpose of whitewashing the Joolani terrorist regime right near the one year anniversary of Assad's, and Syria's, overthrow.

Since last December, many Syrians who rejoiced at his overthrow have realized this new Syria is a monstrous place where any civilian can be abducted or assassinated by the goons under the rule of the so-called "President" Abu Mohammed al-Joolani (Ahmad al-Sharaa), as has been ongoing since he took power.

What this leaked video actually reveals is that Assad was surrounded by traitors.

As for Al Arabiya and other sites gleefully sharing these clips, they're broadcasting how morally bankrupt and devoid of journalistic integrity they are. Their message: Look at this shiny clickbait, don't look at the ongoing slaughter of civilians by terrorists under the rule of the al-Qaeda headchopper in a suit in charge.


*Regarding Ghouta, some of my writings:

https://ingaza.wordpress.com/2018/06/03/syrian-civilians-from-ground-zero-expose-chemical-hoax/

https://ingaza.wordpress.com/2018/06/11/torture-starvation-executions-eastern-ghouta-civilians-talk-of-life-under-terrorist-rule/

https://ingaza.wordpress.com/2018/03/22/they-know-that-we-know-they-are-liars-they-keep-lying-wests-war-propaganda-on-ghouta-crescendos/

https://ingaza.wordpress.com/2014/09/12/the-terrorism-we-support-in-syria-a-first-hand-account-of-the-use-of-mortars-against-civilians/

https://ingaza.wordpress.com/2014/04/28/not-only-terrorist-mortars-but-terrorist-sniper-fire-too-on-damascus-from-ghouta/

⭕️ Qassem Soleimani reportedly warned Assad about former adviser Luna al-Shibl

New reporting from Al-Majalla, coinciding with the circulation of leaked videos by Al-Hadath and Al-Arabiya, has revived scrutiny over the late special advisor to Bashar al-Assad, Luna al-Shibl, and her uneasy standing within the Assad government.

According to Al-Majalla, a document containing the full Arabic trannoscript of a late 2019 exchange shows the late IRGC Quds Force General Qassem Soleimani confronting Syria’s National Security Bureau chief Ali Mamlouk after seeing Shibl leave his office. Soleimani reportedly pressed Mamlouk repeatedly, asking not just “Who is this?” but “Who is she really, where did she work?” He then pointed to the stark contrast between her former $10,000 salary and her modest government salary in Damascus, asking rhetorically, “Does it make sense for someone to leave ten thousand dollars for five hundred thousand Syrian pounds? She is a spy.” Both Soleimani and Maher al-Assad are said to have issued earlier warnings about her.

Shibl had quit a prestigious journalism career at Qatar-based broadcaster Al Jazeera to become Assad’s media advisor, a move that long raised questions about her rapid ascent inside the Assad government.

These revelations come amid lingering questions surrounding Shibl’s death in July 2024. While officials described it as a routine traffic accident on the Damascus, Dimas highway, photos of her armored BMW showed only minor damage, prompting immediate doubts. Eyewitnesses told Al-Majalla that a car intentionally rammed her vehicle and that a man struck her on the back of the head before fleeing, an attack that caused paralysis and ultimately led to her death. Her bodyguard, who attempted to recount what happened, was reportedly detained on the spot.

In July 2024, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that there had been "growing dissatisfaction" with her within the government, noting accusations that she had leaked minutes of closed meetings between Assad and Iranian officials. According to the monitor, Syrian intelligence detained her brother after Israel struck the Iranian consulate in Damascus in April 2024, on charges of communicating with a hostile party.