Arabi Facts Hub analyzed two hashtags related to the events, uncovering evidence of incitement, mutual hate speech, and coordinated efforts to boost engagement. Accounts outside Syria were also active on both hashtags, using sectarian and inflammatory language.
Rapid Build-Up then Sudden Eruption
Violence broke out in As-Suwayda Governorate, southern Syria, between Druze and Bedouin tribes on July 13, 2025. That same evening, activity on the hashtag #الهجري_الخائن (Al-Hijri the Traitor) surged from a single post to 614 posts, climbing the next day to 2,336 posts. By July 16, it reached 9,031 posts, before peaking on July 18 with over 16,800 posts, then gradually declining to 4,351 posts by July 21, 2025.
On July 18, the hashtag registered more than 60 million views, followed by 33 million on July 17 and 24 million on July 16—figures unusually high for the Syrian online space, raising suspicions of coordinated amplification.
Hikmat al-Hijri, one of the spiritual leaders of Syria’s Druze community, became a central figure after his refusal in March 2025 to sign a memorandum of understanding between the Syrian government and Druze authorities.
Simultaneously, the hashtag #السويداء_تحارب_الإرهاب (As-Suwayda Fights Terrorism) followed an almost parallel trajectory. It began with 7,565 posts on July 15, climbed to 11,363 posts on July 16, and then experienced a sharp spike on July 17 and 18, registering 17,826 and 19,583 posts, respectively.
An analysis of more than 40,000 posts revealed that over 75% of the content under #السويداء_تحارب_الإرهاب consisted of reposts—non-original material recycled within short timeframes by duplicate or semi-automated accounts. As for the hashtag #الهجري_الخائن (Al-Hijri The Traitor), reposts made up 68% of the activity, with 40% of those posts originating from the same cluster of accounts that also drove engagement on the opposing hashtag.
In both campaigns, original content accounted for less than 10% of the total activity.
An Emotional War on Two Fronts
Out of a total of 77,638 sentimental posts under the hashtag “Al-Hijri The Traitor” 66,932 were negative, making up 87% of the overall content. Only 2,603 posts (3.3%) were classified as positive, while 8,098 posts (10.4%) were categorized as neutral.
Negative posts dominated the hashtag #السويداء_تحارب_الإرهاب (As-Suwayda Fights Terrorism) accounting for 66.6% of the total content; meanwhile, positive posts made up only 6.5%.
The temporal pattern of sentiment shifts revealed an almost identical synchronization in the escalation of emotional intensity across both hashtags. Between July 13 and 18, the number of negative posts surged collectively in both hashtags, coinciding with the peak of armed clashes in the western countryside of Suwayda. Negative posts peaked on #الهجري_الخائن (Al-Hijri The Traitor) with 14,563 posts on July 18, while #السويداء_تحارب_الإرهاب (As-Suwayda Fights Terrorism) recorded 2,001 negative posts on the same day.
Who Tweets for Suwayda?
Engagement on the hashtag #السويداء_تحارب_الإرهاب (As-Suwayda Fights Terrorism) originated largely from within the mountain itself, with more than 55% of interactions traced to accounts likely based in the Suwayda province or its immediate surroundings. The highest posting densities were recorded in the eastern and western countryside, where clashes with Bedouin tribes had erupted.
#الهجري_الخائن (Al-Hijri The Traitor) was different: 30% of its posts came from accounts geolocated to Saudi Arabia and the UAE, while notable activity also emerged from the United States, Turkey, and Germany.
On a detailed map, Rural Damascus, Idlib, and Homs topped the contributions criticizing Hikmat al-Hijri, while voices defending “the Mountain” were concentrated in Suwayda and the villages of Shahba, Qanawat, and Arman.
The analysis further showed that accounts based in Riyadh, Jeddah, and Dubai played a key role in recycling the narrative of treason against the Druze. Meanwhile, Lebanon ranked third among the countries most engaged with the hashtag #السويداء_تحارب_الإرهاب (As-Suwayda Fights Terrorism), where accounts were active in posting content critical of the new Syrian regime.
Hate Speech and Incitement
A keyword analysis across both hashtags points to the dominance of incendiary and sectarian rhetoric, often interlaced with misleading claims.
On the hashtag #الهجري_الخائن (Al-Hijri The Traitor) repeated terms accused al-Hijri of being a “collaborator” and subordinate to the Iranian axis or Israeli occupation.
Meanwhile, accounts displaying the new Syrian flag circulated posts alleging that he was a child killer and that he was working to expel Christians. This is despite Father Tony Boutros, priest of the Shahba Church, publicly denying what he called “rumors” and stressing that no displacement of Christians had taken place in Suwayda during the recent armed clashes.
By contrast, the hashtag #السويداء_تحارب_الإرهاب (As-Suwayda Fights Terrorism) was rife with incendiary expressions and hate speech, featuring phrases such as “Bedouin treachery,” “tribal militias,” and “ISIS occupation.”
Some posts carried overtly sectarian rhetoric, claiming that “Kurds, Alawites, and Druze cannot coexist with Sunnis,” while derogatorily labeling Sunnis as “Julani”—a reference to Abu Mohammad al-Julani, the former nom de guerre of Syria’s transitional president, Ahmad al-Shara’a.
Posts from Lebanese accounts also focused on attacking the new Syrian regime, repeating phrases such as “Julani is a terrorist”, and “killer of Syrians”
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that more than 1,000 people were killed as a result of the violence in Suwayda.
Who Sparked the Campaign?
Our analysis indicates that the account which first triggered engagement with the hashtag #السويداء_تحارب_الإرهاب (As-Suwayda Fights Terrorism) was “ZAINUN زينون” (@ZAINUN313). The account launched the hashtag alongside a post framing the conflict as a matter of “Shiite rights in confronting the takfiris.”
Posts from @ZAINUN313 reveal consistent support for Iran-backed groups in the region, most notably Hezbollah, while also expressing opposition to the current Syrian government.
On the other side, the account @mueawia2011, under the name “Muawia Saraqib”, was the first to launch the hashtag “Al-Hijri The Traitor”. The account introduces itself as the “voice of the uprising tribes” and the “voice of the great Idlib”, in contrast to what it frames as the betrayal of Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri and the Druze community of Swuyda toward the Syrian state.
The account’s activity is marked by anti-Druze, anti-Iran, and anti-Hezbollah content, heavily employing sectarian rhetoric.
The analysis of the network maps of the two digital campaigns reveals clear differences in their organization, publishing methods, and digital influence. The structure of the accounts engaging with the hashtag "As-Suwayda Fights Terrorism" is made up of central accounts, each surrounded by its own cluster of secondary accounts that repost and amplify its messages, with only a limited degree of overlap or direct interaction between the main accounts.
At the heart of this network, the account "SFOLK_AL_SHEIKH" emerged as a primary source of a large volume of posts and reposts, giving it significant influence within the network. Its central role in feeding content ultimately led X to suspend the account.
It was followed in size and influence by other accounts, including "Mira Medusa," "mehmood_kolo," "leenjustleen," and "Unseen Rebel."
Each of these accounts represents a hub or sub-digital cluster with its own narrative and relatively consistent content built around a specific theme—such as defending the “dignity of the mountain” or emphasizing the local dimension and collective identity of Suwayda’s inhabitants. The five separate colored clusters reflect minimal interaction or communication among the hubs, This indicates digital independence and localized coordination within each subgroup, alongside a clear weakness in direct connections or information exchange between the different hubs.
On the other side, the network around the hashtag “Al-Hijri The Traitor” displayed a markedly different and more complex structure. Its visual mapping revealed a densely interconnected web, with numerous links connecting central accounts to secondary ones. Central accounts such as “C_S_E_C,” “anasanas84,” “mshinqiti,” “ZamoutVisam,” and “Hadi Alabdallah” emerged as clear power centers. These accounts did not merely produce specific content; they also acted as mediators and bridges between multiple subgroups. This gave the network a highly cohesive structure, allowing information to circulate smoothly and rapidly, thereby amplifying the campaign’s narrative more broadly and swiftly across the network.
In conclusion, this network analysis shows that the two campaigns are not merely expressions of opposing positions, but also reflections of distinct digital methods and tactics in managing online conflict. One network favors decentralization and independence in content production, while the other relies on centralization and tight coordination.
Analyzing Influencing Accounts
An analysis of the most active accounts on the hashtag “As-Suwayda Fights Terrorism” reveals that Lebanese-Syrian activist Rawan Osman was among the most prominent participants. Her posts sparked wide controversy, particularly her claim that “Israel is not the enemy, but rather the hopeful ally in the region.”
In contrast, the account of Mohammed Al Mukhtar Al Shanqeeti was highly active on the hashtag “Al-Hijri The Traitor.” Al Shanqeeti expressed support for the Syrian revolution, the current Syrian regime, and President al-Shar‘a, while attacking the Druze by linking them to Israel.
The use of sectarian rhetoric was also observed among several accounts that engaged heavily with the hashtag, including @anasanas84 and @C_S_E_C, whose posts contained explicitly sectarian incitement.
Notably, across both hashtags, non-Syrian accounts were active in amplifying opposing sectarian and inflammatory narratives. While Gulf-based accounts were active on “Al-Hijri The Traitor,” spreading content against the Druze and Shia, accounts geolocated in Lebanon contributed to “As-Suwayda Fights Terrorism,” promoting sectarian rhetoric targeting Sunnis.
