This Image Does Not Depict Syrian Microbiologist Zahra Al-Homsiyeh Allegedly Assassinated in Syria
The Claim
The assassination of Syrian microbiologist and nuclear scientist Zahra Al-Homsieh at her home in Damascus.
News posted on
Emerging story
Recently, an image has gone viral on social media platforms and news outlets, falsely purporting to depict Zahra al-Homsiyeh, a Syrian physicist specializing in microbiology, who was allegedly assassinated by Israeli Mossad with the involvement of Abu Mohammad al-Jolani’s forces, the leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS).
Misbar’s Analysis
Misbar investigated the claim and found it to be misleading. The image actually belongs to Shadia Rifal Habbal, a Syrian-American physicist, and there is no record of a Syrian scientist named Zahra al-Homsiyeh specializing in microbiology.
The Image Shows Physicist Shadia Rifal Habbal
An investigation found no evidence of a Syrian scientist named Zahra al-Homsiyeh, nor has any credible global news agency reported the death of such a scientist.
Misbar reviewed the official online profile of Syrian scientist Shadia Habbal and confirmed that she is currently a professor at the Institute for Astronomy in Hawaii, United States, as stated on the institute's official website. The same photo being misattributed online to Zahra al-Homsiyeh also appears on Shadia Habbal’s official profile.
Additionally, the Syrian Society for Scientific Research shared the widely circulated photo, which was originally claimed to depict a Syrian scientist named Zahra al-Homsiyeh. However, the society paired the image with an introductory piece about Syrian-American scientist Shadia Habbal as part of its International Women’s Day tribute earlier this year.
Misbar also identified the official account of Syrian scientist Shadia Habbal on the social media platform X. The account lists her workplace as the University of Hawaii in the United States. Additionally, several of her followers are professionals in the fields of physics and astronomy, further validating that the account belongs to the renowned Syrian scientist.
Israel Strikes Over 300 Syrian Regime Army Targets
The misleading claim emerged amid news of an Israeli airstrike targeting the Scientific Research Center near Damascus on Tuesday, December 10. The operation, described by the Israeli Defense Forces as one of their largest air campaigns in history, struck more than 300 Syrian regime military targets.
Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz announced plans to establish a “secure defensive zone” aimed at preventing the formation and organization of what he referred to as “post-Assad era terrorism” in Syria.
In a related context, the United Nations condemned the advance of Israeli ground forces into the buffer zone on the occupied Golan Heights border, describing the operation as a violation of the 1974 Disengagement Agreement signed by both parties.
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