Did parts of the Barada River in the heart of the Syrian capital Damascus turn red because the blood of perished prisoners mixed with its water? No, that's not true: Damascus City officials dismissed the claim, saying the reddish color was due to the mixture of mud and pollutants and other deposits that ended up in the river following heavy…

Did US Senate approve the annexation of Aleppo to Turkey? No, that's not true. There is no record of such a decision from the US Senate. Aleppo is internationally recognised as part of the Syrian territories. The claim appeared in a video (archived here) where it was published on TikTok by @akeraleakar on June 2, 2023 under the title "Aleppo…

Did the new COVID XBB subvariant already infect 65 million people per week in China in May? No, that's not true. NBC News and the Independent said that the number of 65 million per week could be reached when the current wave peaks at the end of June. Time Magazine quoted medical experts in China saying there were an estimated…

Did Russian forces withdraw from positions they've held in the Syrian city of Til Rifaat? No, that's not true. Local Syrian press accounts say the Russian forces are performing regular movements around the strategic city in North West Syria and there are no signs they will depart and allow Turkish forces in the area to sieze the city. The claim…

Did Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri kick out the representative of Qatar from the Arab League Summit? No, that's not true: The incident didn't take place. The claim appeared in a video (archived here) where it was published by Tiktok on May 22, 2023, with the title: "Arab League Summit headed by Sameh Shukri who kicked out Qatar representative after…

Did Cristiano Ronaldo announce his conversion to Islam? No, that's not true. There is no record of him declaring a religious conversion to Islam despite the claim going viral following his celebration during a match when he bowed and touched his forehead to the ground in the manner of a Sujud, an Islamic prayer ritual. The claim appeared in a…

Did Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saudi die? No, that's not true: There is no evidence that he has died and the video of the official announcement circulating announces the death of Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud in 2015. The claim appeared in a video (archived here) where it was published on TikTok by @rajaperang17 on April 15, 2023, under the…

Did all Syrian Christians stay in their country despite the war that broke out in 2011? No, that's not true: A 2017 report by three Christian advocacy groups, Open Doors, Served, and Middle East Concern, estimated that the Christian population of Syria has been "roughly halved," since 2011, from around 2 million to 800,000. The claim appeared in a video…

Did Egypt join the Ukraine Defense Contact Group of nations supporting Ukraine in its war with Russia? No, that's not true. Egypt remains neutral regarding the Russia-Ukraine war and it has not announced plans to join the group of nations. There have been no official statements from Egyptian President Sisi indicating any alteration in the country's stance of neutrality concerning…

Did scientists create COVID-19 in laboratories and are all vaccines nothing but synthetic poison? No, that's not true: There is no new evidence to corroborate the much-debunked claim that the COVID virus was developed in scientific laboratories and that their vaccines, like the polio and MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccines, are poisonous. These claims appeared in a video (archived…