Syria authorities say Alawite shrine attack is “old”

Syria's new authorities said Wednesday that video footage of an attack on an Alawite shrine was "old" and that "unknown groups" were behind the incident, after protests erupted in the minority community's heartland.

The footage showing "the storming and attack" of the shrine in Aleppo is "old and dates to the time of the liberation" of the northern Syrian city by the opposition factions earlier this month – according to a statement by the interior ministry.

It added that the attack was carried out by "unknown groups" and that "republishing" the video served to "stir up strife among the Syrian people at this sensitive stage".