The Syrian civil war has gained prominence in global media following the capture of two cities, Aleppo and Hama, by Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) forces. HTS captured Aleppo on November 29, 2024, and entered Hama on December 5 after dictator Bashar al-Assad's Syrian Arab Army (SAA) withdrew from the city. Accelerationists, anti-government extremists, and white supremacists, especially pro-Russian groups and individuals, rallied behind Assad online, professing their support for the dictator in his fight against HTS. Groups and individuals from the United States, Ireland, Italy, France, Russia, Ukraine, Poland, and Spain professed their support for Assad. Many extremists place the blame for the situation on the West, alleging that Western governments and Zionists are orchestrating the conflict.
The following report will provide an overview of extremists' responses online to the recent developments in Syria's civil war.
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Extremists, Particularly Pro-Russian Groups, Voice Support For Assad
Various extremist individuals and organizations expressed their support for Assad. Their ideologies range from white supremacist to accelerationist to anti-government and more. Several of the groups are explicitly pro-Russian, and have a history of commenting on or involving themselves in international political situations which impact Russia. Other groups, while not necessarily pro-Russian, support Assad because they believe that HTS is influenced by Zionists; as such, their antisemitic or anti-Zionist beliefs lead them to support Assad.
An American neo-Nazi streamer dedicated a livestream to discussing the civil war in Syria. He promoted his latest livestream in a post on his Telegram channel on December 5. "Tonight we are discussing SYRIA and the Antisemitism law in the Senate."
An Italian fascist revolutionary group posted a photo on Telegram on December 3 stamped with the Syrian flag and the emblem of an Italian fascist venue. The graphic was titled: "Alongside Assad's Syria against terrorism." The channel wrote: "[...] Our sympathy, today as yesterday, goes to the Syria of Bashar al-Assad, who has always fought terror on the ground, without any rhetoric, and defending his sovereignty."
A Paris-based ultranationalist and fascist group posted a photo on Instagram on December 2 of Syrian flags flying over a Syrian city. The caption supports the Bashar al-Assad regime and condemns Western states: "Support for the Syrian people [...] Today, Aleppo has completely fallen into the hands of the jihadists, the roads are blocked, and a curfew is imposed on civilians. Everything suggests that the jihadists who have seized Aleppo will implement terror and shari'a law, as they did when they occupied the province of Raqqa. [The group] affirms its support for the sovereign Syrian state and denounces the leading role of Westerners, starting with the French government [...]"
On Telegram, the head of a Russian extremist group published several video clips and a comment dedicated to the offensive by the terrorist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) against government forces in rural areas in western Aleppo. According to media reports, militants captured 13 villages, including the strategically important towns of Urm al-Sughra and Anjara, as well as Base 46, a Syrian government base.
The post expressed indignation with the fact that HTS, which has attacked Russian troops, is backed by Turkey, which is perceived as Russia's ally against the West. It argues: "Turkey (our esteemed partners) is a haven for terrorists and extremists from the Caucasus, who are carefully harbored by the special services of Turkey. Turkey has also been harboring Ochkerians [a slur for supporters of the Chechen Republic of Ichekeria] since the times of the Chechen troops [meaning the Chechen Wars]. Then Turkey supplied weapons and equipment to the khokhols [a slur for Ukrainians]. Now pro-Turkish groups with the financial and arms support of Turkey are striking at Russian positions." The post's author also claims that Turkey and Azerbaijan meddle in the internal affairs of Russia and impose the extremist ideology of pan-Turkism on the country. The post amassed more than 330,000 views and indignant reactions from subscribers.
An identitarian group based in a region in western France shared a photograph on Instagram of a group of men, faces digitally hidden, holding a Syrian flag on November 30. This came in the context of the seizure of Aleppo by HTS. The music track of the story is a song by an Italian music band titled, "For Syria, for Assad!"
On Telegram, a French Roussillon-based ultranationalist group shared a satellite map of what appears to be Syria, and wrote: "Syria: Yesterday, at the same time as the truce between Hezbollah and Israel came into effect, terrorists from the Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) group launched an offensive against the governorate of Aleppo. Let us recall that HTS is funded by NATO and Israel to bring down the Syrian state led by Bashar Al-Assad. The Zionists still want the end of the legitimate Syrian government."
A Polish pro-Russian, antisemitic Telegram channel posted a graphic with the Happy Merchant, a caricature of a Jewish man, holding three animals with human heads on leashes on November 30. One has a black man's head, one a head with a hat with the Turkish moon and star, and one is wearing a balaclava. On the ground before them is the half-eaten corpse of a blond woman and in the background, a yellow Star of David with the communist hammer and sickle. The channel wrote: "The Turks suffered so sincerely for the fate of the Muslims in Palestine and struck with their fists at Israel, that at the very moment when the Zionist regime began the bloody terrorist conquest of Gaza, and after it Lebanon, they decided to attack the weakened Syria. It is symbolic that the artillery of the anti-Turkish fighters in Aleppo fired simultaneously with the Israeli bombings on the borders of Syria and Lebanon. Ankara only claims to be one of the leaders of the Muslim world, but in reality, under the cover of Israeli lawlessness, it simply destroys poorly maintained border areas. You can threaten Tel Aviv with Erdogan's mustache as much as you want, foam at the mouth, swear allegiance to Al-Aqsa, but support Israel in its extremist campaign against the Shiite and Sham population - why not. Syrian oil does not smell like the ruins of Gaza, which reek of death, betrayal, and horror. This is Muslim Solidarity according to Turkey. This is Turkish hypocrisy."
The group later posted a two-part meme on December 9. In the upper part, a man removes his glasses to look at a blurred Syrian Rebels' Flag, used by the opposition. In the lower part, the same man puts the glasses back on to see that the flag's three stars are actually Stars of David.
On Telegram, a Ukrainian neo-Nazi channel shared a post on November 30 about the capture of Aleppo. The post includes many videos of fighters entering the city and taking down symbols of the Assad regime. It states that the Syrian Democratic Forces recaptured Aleppo from trhe "Assadites and Putinists," which claimed the lives of thousands of soldiers, and adds that Russian President Putin will remove troops from the Ukrainian front to mitigate the situation in Syria or simply abandon his ally, Assad.
An Irish white supremacist posted a screenshot on December 6 on Telegram of a Reuters news article discussing the likelihood of a wave of Syrian refugees leaving Syria and wrote: "Islamist terrorists backed by the US and Israel are overthrowing a moderate government in Syria and Europe will be left with another flood of refugees."
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