This Image Does Not Depict the Alawites' Blood Due To Alleged Killings in Syria

Misbar investigated the viral claim and found it to be misleading.

The image is outdated and has no relation to the alleged killings of Alawites in Syria. It was captured in Damascus, not Homs, as some social media users claimed.

2023 Image of Barada River Turning Red Stirs Controversy Online

Through reverse image search, Misbar’s team found that the image dates back to May 2023, before the fall of the al-Assad regime and before al-Golani became the leader of the new administration in Syria.

The image was widely published on social media platforms, and several news outlets reported on the strange incident in 2023.
Syria TV reported on the incident in an article published on May 31, 2023, under the title: "What is the secret behind the Barada River waters in Damascus turning red?"

At the time, the photo stirred controversy online. Many social media users speculated that the red color was caused by blood from slaughterhouses connected to the river.

Misbar’s team identified a Facebook page sharing the image in question along with two other similar photos, questioning the cause of the color change. The Facebook post was titled May 31, 2023.

Rozana, an independent Syrian media outlet, reported in May 2023 that they spoke with the photographer of the image, who preferred to remain anonymous, and verified that the image was authentic and not manipulated. The outlet also obtained several photos of the river, showing a rise in soil levels. However, the color of the water remained muddy brown, several shades darker than the red seen in earlier photos.

The owner of the photos told Rozana that large amounts of soil had entered the river.

Why Did the Barada River Turn Red?

Nidal al-Hafez, the maintenance director in Damascus Governorate, explained that the cause of the strange incident was heavy rain. "Soil and mud have turned into the riverbed."

Al-Hafez’s justification aligned with the photos Rozana obtained from the original photographer, which showed muddy brown shades in the river.
However, his explanation did not convince Syrians and led to a wave of ironic criticism online.

Agronomist Ahmed Hammoud told the Syrian outlet Rozana that rain could not have changed the color of the Barada River as seen in the photos. According to him, the redness in the photo seemed to be instantaneous, and soil could not be a factor, "especially since the Barada River’s soil isn’t red."
Hammoud continued that if the mud were truly the cause, the river would have turned muddy and reddish instead. He attributed the redness of the Barada River to either chemical dyes or certain weapons dumped into the river.

Another civil engineer and soil consultant, who spoke anonymously, also ruled out the possibility that the soil caused the discoloration. He said the discoloration was likely caused by chemical dyes discharged into the river by factories. The photographer of the images said there were tanneries in the area near the river but did not provide further details about the exact location of the photos.

Alawites in Syria

Contrary to the viral claim, no records confirm the killings of Alawites in Syria. Alawites are a religious minority in Syria, a group to which the ousted dictator Bashar Assad also belongs.

In recent days, Alawites took to the streets to protest attacks on a shrine in Aleppo that is important to their community. The protest was sparked by a viral video showing an attack on the Alawite shrine. The Syrian Interior Ministry said the video was "old and dates back to the period of the liberation" of the city, noting that the act "was carried out by unknown groups."
The protesters held signs saying: "No to burning holy places and religious discrimination. No to sectarianism. Yes to a free Syria."

Alawites are a minority in Syria and fear being punished or persecuted because of their community's long-standing connections to the Assad family, which ruled Syria brutally for 54 years.

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