Pages on social media circulated a statement attributed to Syrian presidential adviser Mazloum Abdi, in which he was said to have declared that Hikmat al-Hijri is playing with fire, and that his surrender was hoped for before As-Suwayda is entered by force.
Following up on the report, Kashaf verified the statement by reviewing Abdi's official accounts on social media platforms, tracing the archive of his statements and press interviews, and reviewing what Arabic and Kurdish media outlets covering Syrian affairs had published.
The verification process did not turn up any official or credible source documenting that this statement was made by Mazloum Abdi.
Why is the report false?
Fabricated statements: The claim attributed to a public figure a statement he never made, drawing on the sensitivity of the tension on the ground in As-Suwayda to lend the report credibility and push audiences to believe and share it.
