On January 14, 2025, Al-Jazeera TV host Faisal Al-Qassem returned to his Syrian hometown of Al-Suwayda and received a hero's welcome. He visited his childhood home and told reporters that he went to Al-Assad's palace, where he said: "I am back, you cockroach." During his visit to Syria, Al-Qassem, a Druze journalist who hosts Al-Jazeera's flagship talk show Opposite Directions, met with Syria's new leader Ahmed Al-Sharaa (Al-Jolani) and Druze spiritual leaders. He rejected speculations that he would be appointed Syria's new Minister of Information.
Faisal Al-Qassem: "This is my handwriting. My name is written down there. This is more precious than any house. Here I would practice broadcasting. In this exact spot. I would practice here, recording my voice, and my uncle Khalil, may he rest in peace, was standing there.
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"Yesterday, I went to visit [Bashar Al-Assad's] palace, and I entered his bedroom. I said to him: 'I am back, you cockroach.' With all due respect to cockroaches, of course... I also took a lot of stuff from him."