Assad’s Son Invites US Military Strike In Syria Via Facebook

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s son has apparently written a Facebook post challenging the US to carry out a military strike on Syria. 11-year-old Hafez al-Assad writes in a rambling status update full of typos and errors saying he wants the US to attack Syria “sooo much.” The post and the account, however, have both since been deleted from Facebook.

In the body of the post, young Hafez admits that while the US may have the most advanced weaponry of any military, he says that Syria has the best soldiers. According to The Independent, his post attempts to taunt the US, calling American armed forces “cowards with new technology who claim themselves liberators.”

While has not been confirmed that this was indeed the Facebook account of the Syrian president’s son, the New York Times reports, many are convinced. Perhaps the strongest and strangest evidence comes from several “likes” and comments made by accounts known to be owned by children and grandchildren of Assad’s leadership. One comment said “Like father like son! Well said future President!” Others showed similar support of Hafez’s bravado.

Some might see this as a possible glimpse into the Syrian government’s attitudes. If so, the threat of an US military strike in Syria does not seem to be a major concern.

Should this be of concern to US military leaders, though? Hafez writes that he wants the US “to make this huge mistake of beginning something that they don’t know the end of it.” He insists that supporters of his father will do everything they can to struggle against US forces. A further reading of this boast could be that President Assad will not refrain from using deadly chemical weapons against American soldiers, or other banned weaponry.

While it is not completely impossible that this is an elaborate hoax, it seems likely that the post was legitimate. Included below is the original post made by Hafez al-Assad on Facebook regarding a possible US military strike on Syria, as well as several comments of support from children of Syrian leadership.

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[Featured Image via Thinglass / Shutterstock.com]
[Body Images via Facebook]