Washington:
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa is in New York for the UN General Assembly, with diplomacy and reconstruction for his war-torn country on his agenda. But before he took the stage at the global gathering, the Syrian leader was caught doing something extremely ordinary: scrolling through his Instagram.
A video of al-Sharaa from inside the General Assembly hall has gone viral on social media, which appears to show the Syrian leader watching short videos, more popularly known as reels, on his phone while Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was addressing world leaders.
Some reports also claimed that the leader, who was once designated as a terrorist by the United States, was also sharing reels. However, the viral footage itself does not establish whether he was messaging someone or what he was watching.
Syrian President Jolani appears to be caught scrolling Instagram during the UN General Assembly. pic.twitter.com/XzV5uKTH9K
— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) September 23, 2026
The X users found al-Sharaa’s act relatable, with one user commenting, “When the most relatable thing in that room comes from a former member of Al-Qaeda who decapitated people.”
“Yep, he’s cool. He’s one of us millennials. I’d be doomscrolling too if I were over there listening to some boring bullshit, when at the end of the day each country is going back to their own bullshit,” wrote another.
The timing of the incident is particularly interesting, as it happened ahead of al-Sharaa’s own appearance before the gathering.
Hours after the clip went viral, the Syrian leader spoke on some of the hardest diplomatic questions plaguing the Middle East.
Speaking to reporters in New York, he said an Israeli withdrawal from a self-declared security zone in Syrian territory is a necessary first step before talks can be held on reaching agreements between the two countries, He also indicated that “lasting peace” was an achievable dream.
“The Golan Heights is Syrian territory under recognition of the United Nations…So there is no discussion,” he said.
Syria’s UNGA History
This is al-Sharaa’s second appearance at the UN General Assembly since 2025, after he became the first Syrian president to do so in nearly six decades.
Before al-Sharaa, the last time a Syrian head of state attended the General Assembly was in 1967. That was before the 50-year rule of the Assad family dynasty, which came to an end in December 2024 when then-President Bashar al-Assad was ousted in a lightning insurgent offensive led by al-Sharaa. Assad’s fall also brought to an end nearly 14 years of civil war.
Since then, al-Sharaa has sought to restore ties with Arab countries and the West, where officials were initially wary of his past ties with the al-Qaida terrorist group. The rebel group he formerly led, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, was previously designated by the United States as a terrorist group.
Since assuming power, al-Sharaa has preached coexistence and sought to reassure Syria’s minority communities, but the country’s fragile recovery has been threatened by outbreaks of sectarian violence. Fighters affiliated with the new government were also accused of killing hundreds of civilians from the Druze and Alawite religious minorities.
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