Iraqi and Yemeni accounts linked to Iran-backed armed groups coordinated a virtual mobilization campaign in response to a large-scale offensive by a military coalition of Syrian rebel factions, led by Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham, following its capture of Aleppo and expansion into other areas in the north of the country.

A military operation titled "Deterrence of Aggression," launched by Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham and allied armed factions, has brought the Syrian civil war back into focus after years of relative calm. The situation remains volatile in Aleppo and parts of Hama, while Russian and Syrian airstrikes have intensified to hinder the opposition's advance.

Meanwhile, various hashtags have gained traction on social media, calling on the Syrian government to use barrel bombs to halt the offensive by opposition factions. Barrel bombs are among the most notorious weapons used by Bashar al-Assad's regime since a peaceful uprising in the country transformed into armed conflict in 2011. Their use has been associated with widespread destruction and significant civilian casualties.

Some of these hashtags are newly created, while others have been in circulation for at least a decade, such as البراميل_المقدسة (Sacred Barrels), البرميل_المقدس (The Sacred Barrel), لن_تسبى_زينب_مرتين (Zainab Will Not Be Enslaved Twice), إدلب_معقل_الارهاب (Idlib The Terrorist Stronghold), and سوريا_تسحق_الارهاب (Syria Crushes Terrorism). These hashtags surged with a wave of 3,821 posts between November 27 and December 3, 2024, coinciding with the military movements in northern Syria.

Posts published under the hashtag were viewed at least 544,000 times and generated 16,471 interactions (likes, shares, replies, and comments), according to Meltwater, a leading social media analytics tool. The total percentage of posts in the form of replies and shared content reached 84.7%, a record-high rate compared to only 11.7% original posts.

Type of Posts on Hashtags – Meltwater

Incitement, Repeated Content, and Misinformation

A sentiment analysis conducted on Meltwater showed that 76.6% of the total hashtag posts had a negative tone, amounting to approximately 2,700 posts. This negative tone was clearly reflected in the hashtag content, which included explicitly incitement calling for the use of barrel bombs.

In recent days, Russian and Syrian aircraft have carried out airstrikes in the northwest of the country, particularly in Idlib, the main stronghold of the Syrian opposition, where millions of war refugees have fled.

As of December 3, 2024, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that 602 fatalities occurred as a result of the battles that erupted since November 27, 2024, including 104 civilians.

Sentiment Trends on Hashtags – Meltwater

Posts on the hashtag incited Syrian government forces to continue using barrel bombs and included boastful video footage of the moment barrels were dropped on Syrian cities during the conflict.
One post threatened, stating: "Your cities will burn, your children and women will be killed, your homes will be destroyed, and your men will be humiliated." Another urged: "Do not forget the sacred barrels on the heads of the sons of whores. The sacred barrels have destroyed the strongholds of the sons of whores, piece by piece. Al-Nusra terrorists and ISIS fighters in Idlib have become kabab."

Some posts under the hashtags #البراميل_المقدسة (Sacred Barrels) and #سوريا_تسحق_الإرهاب (Syria Crushes Terrorism) on X promoted narratives accusing Syrian rebels of being "agents and mercenaries executing the Zionist-American agenda," and of "weakening and distracting nations and peoples from supporting the people of Palestine and Gaza."

The posts further claimed that developments in northern Syria represent "an attempt to open another front to paralyze the resistance movement." Additionally, the posts included propaganda highlighting Iran's role in Syria and the region while echoing official Syrian statements that "Syria crushes terrorism" and that "Idlib is the stronghold of terrorism."

Posts under the hashtags #البراميل_المقدسة (Sacred Barrels) and #سوريا_تسحق_الإرهاب (Syria Crushes Terrorism) on X. In addition to repeatedly sharing an image depicting barrels accompanied by phrases stating: "And We did not send it except as a mercy to the world" quoting the Quranic verse.

Posts under the hashtags #البراميل_المقدسة (Sacred Barrels) and #سوريا_تسحق_الإرهاب (Syria Crushes Terrorism) on X contained misleading information based on old video clips, presented as recent events in Syria. As seen in the image below, the account @bas_irra shared a video with a caption and sarcastic emojis expressing joy at the explosions shown in the video.

Upon verification, the video was found to have been published in August 2024 and was originally filmed in the Al-Mansoura neighborhood of Aden, Yemen. The footage shows powerful explosions that occurred at a gas station in the area at the time, which resulted in the deaths of five people and injuries to six others.

A manipulated image was circulated showing Israeli soldiers appearing to carry both the Israeli flag and the ISIS flag. The image was shared on the account @alfars5555555, which typically features the flags of Iran, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, and Yemen—a common practice by accounts linked to Iran-backed militias.
The image, which appeared under the hashtag #البراميل_المتفجرة (Barrel Bombs), aimed to imply a connection between Israel and ISIS, the group that seized large areas of northern Iraq and eastern Syria between 2014 and 2019.
Historically, Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (formerly known as Jabhat al-Nusra) had ties to ISIS, as both were part of the extremist factions that emerged during the Syrian war. However, since 2017, the group has sought to rebrand itself as a nationalist Islamic movement focused solely on Syria.
The manipulated image actually originates from African Lion maneuvers, a military exercise held in Morocco in June 2024. The exercise involved an Israeli battalion and was initially posted on the Israeli army's official account at the time.

The manipulated image is on the right and the original image on the left – X 

Accounts participating in the campaign claimed the death of Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham’s leader Abu Mohammad al-Julani by sharing a doctored image. The image was however of an ISIS fighter (of Jordanian nationality) who was killed in the countryside of Homs in September 2015, according to a page belonging to the “Syrian Electronic Republican Guard Brigade 105”, which published the original image.

Simultaneously, old images and videos with unclear context circulated, alleging that tens of thousands of fighters from Iraqi Shiite factions had entered Syria to support government forces in repelling the military advances of the opposition.

Posts claimed that members of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) were among those entering Syria, prompting Iraqi authorities to deny the allegations. Iraqi Interior Ministry spokesman, Muqdad Miri, dismissed these claims as “fabricated rhetoric” shared on Facebook, describing them as “attempts to distort facts and spread rumors about Iraq’s security and the lack of complete border control.”
Falih Al-Fayyadh, the head of the Popular Mobilization Forces, also denied the involvement of its members in Syria, stating that the PMF is “an official force operating under the command of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces” and “does not operate outside Iraq,” adding that “defensive lines along the Syria border are secure.”

Meanwhile, Reuters cited Syrian and Iraqi sources, in reporting that hundreds of fighters from the Badr Organization and the Harakat al-Nujaba had already arrived in Syria, despite the official Iraqi denial.

Posts Claiming Popular Mobilization Forces' Involvement in the Recent Escalation in Syria – X

Who is Driving the Wave?

According to Meltwater, Iraq, Yemen, and Iran ranked as the top three geographic locations with the highest number of posts with active hashtags related to the Aleppo offensive. In contrast, 2,500 posts were observed to be from accounts with unknown locations, making up more than half of the total posts published across these hashtags. This indicates the likelihood of coordinated activity involving fake accounts, as genuine accounts typically include a specific location in their profiles.

 Countries where the hashtags originate - Meltwater

The total number of accounts participating in the wave reached 2,391, many of which were previously involved in coordinated online campaigns. Notably, some of these accounts featured in their profiles images of prominent figures linked to Iran-backed armed groups, such as former Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani, Hassan Nasrallah (Secretary-General of Hezbollah), and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the deputy commander of the PMF—both of whom were killed in a U.S. airstrike in Baghdad on January 3, 2020. Others featured an image of the Secretary-General of the Iraqi Islamic Resistance (Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq), Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, and logos of the Iraqi Harakat al-Nujaba.

Among the prominent accounts active in the hashtags was Nawras Muhajir (@bas_irra), which alone posted 62 tweets. The account's banner image features Soleimani and al-Muhandis, and it describes the user as a social influencer with over 40,000 followers.
The account is considered one of the most active participants in Iran's propaganda machinery and its allied Iraqi factions. X has previously suspended some of its accounts for suspicious activity and involvement in incitement campaigns against other Iraqi forces and countries in the region that are at odds with Tehran.
The account is followed by well-known Iranian propaganda accounts, including one identifying itself as “Dr. Shahla the Journalist” (@DShhla), which frequently interacts with Nawras Muhajir.

The Connection Between the Accounts "Nawras al-Muhajir" and "Shahla the Iranian" on X

In the hashtags, we noticed the presence of fighters from Iraqi factions who had previously participated in the conflict since the early months of the Syrian civil war, such as the account Abu Nimer al-Safi (@A313ll), who identifies himself as a former battalion commander. He was active on the hashtags #لبيك_يازينب  (At Your Service, Zainab) and #سوريا_تسحق_الإرهاب (Syria Crushes Terrorism), posting a video of himself firing a weapon.

On January 13, 2023, al-Safi posted a low-quality video, claiming it showed him fighting in the vicinity of the Sayyida Zainab area in Damascus, Syria, in 2012.  

As part of the same campaign, Yemeni accounts expressing support for the positions of the Iran-backed Houthi group were present, including the account of Abdul Rahman al-Salami (@mohmd10780), who posted several entries. Among them was an image of a barrel, referencing barrel bombs. In another post, he shared an image generated using artificial intelligence, depicting a Syrian opposition fighter alongside an Israeli soldier. 

We noticed that al-Salami's account reshared a post featuring the hashtag #فرسان_الإعلام (Knights of Media), which is actively used by pro-Houthi electronic groups on X.

Through this hashtag, the account @ansaralah11111 also included other hashtags in its posts, such as #التوجيه_المعنوي (Moral Guidance) and #جبهة_الإعلام (Media Front), which are clearly associated with Yemeni forces supporting the Houthis.

Activity by Yemeni Accounts on the Campaign Hashtags – X

The momentum surrounding discussions on the ongoing developments in Syria shifted to Telegram channels associated with Iraqi Shia factions, including both the Sadrist movement and groups loyal to Iran.

These channels are typically central hubs for virtual mobilization activities, serving as launch points for online campaigns directed toward other social media platforms. Although the channels we reviewed did not feature specific hashtags related to Syria, the discussions held there were often news-oriented, adopting the official Syrian narrative and attacking the opposition.

Among these channels was Wahid Baghdad, affiliated with supporters of the Sadrist movement, which has 17,332 subscribers. Another is Shahd al-Yasiri, linked to Iran-aligned Shia factions, with 17,492 subscribers. This channel provides daily updates on faction activities and has previously participated in mobilizing for online campaigns supporting the interests of Shia forces.   

Telegram Channels Affiliated with Iraqi Shia Forces Share News on Military Escalation in Aleppo