Statement attributed to Abu Obeida’s about Al-Julani is fake

A design imitating Al-Jazeera news poster has spread on social media, attributing a statement to the military spokesman of Izz ad-Din Al-Qassam Brigades, Abu Obeida, criticizing statements by Ahmad al-Sharaa “Al-Julani, leader of the new Syrian administration, in which he said that he does not want a conflict with the Israeli occupation. The post reads: “Al-Julani’s statement about not having a conflict with Israel and making peace with it was a shock to us, and we were expecting the Syrian opposition to advance toward Syrian territory.”

Kashif verified the design and found it to be fake, and the statement to be plagiaristic. Kashif contacted Wissam Hammad, a senior news producer at Al Jazeera Media Network, who explained that the font used is completely different from the font used on Al Jazeera pages, and that the design contains spelling errors such as the absence of a hamza in the words: (Abu Ubaidah, Israel, lands).

Kashif’s team looked into the official website of Al Jazeera Channel and its official pages on social media platforms, and found no mention of the statement. 

Kashif’s team also went through Abu Obeida’s official website and did not find any mention of the circulated statement or statements made by him about Al-Julani or the liberation of Syria. The last statement he made was on 19/12/2024 about the Houthi missile attack on Israel.

Al-Julani stated in an interview he conducted with British newspaper “The Times” on 17/12/2024 that: “He does not want any conflict, whether with Israel or with any other party.” He added: “We will not allow Syria to be used as a platform for attacks. The Syrian people need a period of rest. The strikes must stop and Israel must withdraw to its previous positions.”