Accounts on social media circulated a video claiming that Mustafa al-Bakour, known as Abu Yassin al-Maara, removed a Red Bands badge from the shoulder of an elderly man, alleging that the man belongs to this group, which took part in the As-Suwayda events.
The Kashaf team reviewed the full clip, supported by a visual analysis of its content, and found that the context of what the elderly man said shows he was expressing solidarity with the General Security forces, with no indication that he belongs to any military faction. The visual analysis also showed that the man is elderly and relies on a cane to walk and stand, and that the position of the badge visible in the clip does not match the badge attributed to the Red Bands, which is worn on the head rather than on the shoulder.
Why is this claim misleading?
An incorrect connection: The elderly man was linked to the Red Bands group based on a scene of a badge being removed, while the visual evidence does not support this conclusion, since the position of the badge does not match the group badge and what the man said indicates no affiliation.
