Accounts on social media circulated an alleged statement attributed to the assistant to the minister of defence in the eastern region, "Sipan Hamo", claiming he said: "Hikmat al-Hijri is playing with fire, and we hope he surrenders before we enter As-Suwayda".
The fact-checking team followed up on the circulated claim by searching open sources with keywords and reviewing the personal accounts and official handles belonging to the ministry of defence. The statement was found to be fabricated, as no official statement or declaration with this content was recorded from "Sipan Hamo" or from any of the relevant military and security bodies.
Why is this claim false?
Fabricating fictitious statements: inflammatory statements were fabricated and attributed to military commanders regarding As-Suwayda and Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri, and published without any basis in official sources or real events.
