Pages on social media circulated a photo claiming to show actress Slaf Fawakherji and Maher al-Assad together inside a restaurant in Russia.
The Kashaf team subjected the circulated photo to visual and technical analysis, which revealed clear indicators of manipulation. The review found illogical differences between the circulating versions in the clothing details, facial features, and beard shape, along with changes to surrounding background elements. The analysis also showed a phone placed inside a tissue box in a way inconsistent with the lighting and overall perspective of the photo, indicating it had been inserted after editing.
Why is this claim misleading?
Digital manipulation: The claim relied on a digitally edited photo whose elements were altered to give the false impression of a meeting between the two figures inside a restaurant that never took place.
