Mick Hartley

The Assad regime, ably assisted by its Russian allies, kept its grip on power by shamelessly bombing hospitals and schools across Syria. 

From MEMRI:

An article about the Israel-Hamas war by Dr. Bouthaina Sha'aban, political and media advisor to Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad, drew anger and criticism for its statement that "[t]his is the first time that I have seen a war turn hospitals, wounded people, refugee shelters, and journalists into central targets, without the world lifting a finger…" Her article appeared November 13, 2023 in the Syrian regime-affiliated Al-Watan daily.

Many opposition figures expressed their outrage at Sha'aban's statements on their social media accounts, pointing out her hypocrisy in light of the fact that the Assad regime itself had repeatedly targeted hospitals, schools, marketplaces, and many other civilian locations during the Syrian civil war. Furthermore, as the war rages in Gaza, the Syrian regime, with Russian assistance, is aggressively targeting civilian locations in areas controlled by other elements in northwestern Syria – possibly because international attention is currently focused on Gaza.

The Syrian regime has also been accused of hypocrisy for its condemnations of Israel and of alleged Israeli aggression against Palestinians, since the Syrian regime has murdered thousands of Palestinian Syrians, including women and children.

Not of course that the streets of London have been troubled by any Free Palestine demos on the matter.

Many Syrian opposition figures criticized Dr. Shaaban for her blatant disregard of the many attacks carried out by the Assad regime against Syrian civilian targets. For instance, Syrian opposition-affiliated researcher Khalil Al-Muqdad wrote on his X account: "There is no field hospital, above or below the ground, that [the Syrian regime] has not destroyed, or a mosque or bakery that it has not attacked. Even its own hospitals became slaughterhouses where any wounded opposition members or army deserters who arrived there were tortured and eliminated."

Syrian journalist Bahaa Al-Halabi, who works for the Syrian opposition website Syria.tv, wrote on his X account: "This is what Bouthaina Shaaban, Bashar [Al-Assad's] advisor and Hafez [Al-Assad's] translator, wrote. Of course, their gang bombed dozens of hospitals and shelters in Aleppo, Damascus, Idlib, and more. They killed dozens of journalists. A simple [online] search and their atrocities appear!" …

Syrian writer and poet Maher Sharafeddine wrote: "She [Sha'aban] is lying, she knows she lying, and she knows that the people know that she is lying."

Several of the responses mocked Shaaban, suggesting that she must have developed dementia if she does not recall the crimes of the Syrian regime. For instance, Siba Madwar, a Syrian TV host working for Al-Araby TV (Qatar), wrote on her X account: "Simply put, this is called 'Alzheimer's disease' or dementia. You must immediately [look at] the photos by [military photographer] Caesar and follow [the situation in] Idlib. You will see the bombing of hospitals, schools, bakeries, tent camps, houses, barns, marketplaces, mosques, and churches. This will ease your shock…