Old Footage of Virgin Mary Statue Destruction Recirculating on Social Media

Misbar investigated the circulating video and found the claim to be misleading.

Misbar's team found that the video in question is not recent, as claimed. It dates back to October 2013, featuring Sheik Omar Raghba demolishing a statue of the Virgin Mary in a Syrian village.

An article from Le Monde discussing the incident on November 20, 2013, mentions that Omar Ragh is the emir of one of the katibas of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).

Violence Against Greek Orthodox Church in Hama

The circulation of the claim came after the news of Gunmen opening fire on the walls of a church and attempting to destroy the building’s cross. According to the Greek Herald, local police are actively searching for the assailants.

“The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Hama has confirmed that a shooting incident occurred. The Hama Police Command has responded promptly, and efforts are underway to locate the perpetrators,” local law enforcement stated. Reports from Greco-Levantines World Wide also indicated that a nearby cemetery was desecrated during the attack, with crosses vandalized and removed.

The Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) condemned the violent act against the church and suggested that, although the attackers remain unidentified, the jihadist group Ansar al-Tawhid is responsible for numerous assaults on properties and individuals.

“SNHR strongly condemns the attack on the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese in Hama and its affiliated sites,” the organization declared. “We emphasize that targeting places of worship and religious symbols constitutes a clear violation of international human rights law and United Nations General Assembly resolution 75/258.”

Minority communities in Syria, including Christians, have felt a cautious sense of hope since the departure of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to Russia following his ousting in early December.

Israeli Forces Fire on Protesters During Demonstration in Southern Syria

The Israeli military reported that its forces shot a protester in the leg during a demonstration against the army's operations in a village in southern Syria on Friday. Following the ousting of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad by Islamist-led rebels on December 8, Israel conducted hundreds of airstrikes on Syrian military sites to prevent them from being seized by hostile factions.

In a widely condemned action, Israel also deployed troops into a United Nations-monitored buffer zone in the Golan Heights and surrounding areas, asserting that this was a temporary defensive measure. The village where the incident occurred is located just outside the southern edge of this U.N.-patrolled zone.

“After the troops identified a threat, they acted in accordance with standard protocols,” the military stated, confirming the protester was shot in the leg. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a London-based monitoring group, noted that Israeli troops were stationed at a barracks in the village. “During a protest condemning the Israeli incursion, a young man was injured by gunfire from Israeli forces in the village of Maariya, in the Daraa region,” the observatory reported.

According to accounts, Israeli forces at the Al Jazeera barracks “fired directly at the demonstrators,” injuring the man. A villager from Maariya, Ali al-Khalaf, 52, described the fear and panic caused by the presence of Israeli soldiers in the village and surrounding areas in recent days. “When the Israelis entered, they instilled fear in the people, including the children and women,” he recounted, noting that some villagers fled to nearby communities. “They [Israeli troops] entered the villages of Maariya, Aabdyn, and Jamlah.”

On Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a security briefing atop a strategic mountain within the U.N.-patrolled zone, where he assessed military deployments in the area, according to his office. Following Assad's overthrow, Netanyahu had ordered the military to secure the buffer zone.

Read More

The Image Allegedly Featuring Assad's Passport is Digitally Altered

Abu Mohammed Al-Golani: Key claims Targeting the Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham Leader