What’s the story behind Bashar Al-Assad’s new photo?

A digitally generated image purportedly showing former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad with a beard has gone viral on social media, racking up over a million views on X alone.

A post on X that featured the photo read, “The latest appearance of the Syrian tyrant Bashar al-Assad.”

CNN Arabic confirmed that the image is not real but was created using artificial intelligence. The image first appeared on Facebook and was then shared across other social networks. Observers noted the name “Grok” on the corner of the image, indicating X’s AI service generated it.

Analysis using verification tools found the image to be 99.53 percent fake.

Bashar al-Assad has not made any public appearances since fleeing to Russia following the fall of Damascus to opposition forces on Dec. 8, 2024.