Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa was filmed scrolling through social media videos on his phone as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan addressed the UN General Assembly on Tuesday.
The footage, captured inside the General Assembly hall during the opening day of the high-level debate, spread quickly online. It shows al-Sharaa seated among the delegates, his eyes fixed on his smartphone as he browses short video clips, apparently detached from the proceedings around him. Most reports identified the app as Instagram, though one commentator on X argued that the screen showed Telegram.
The timing drew particular attention because Erdogan is widely seen as al-Sharaa's regional patron and a key backer of the new government in Damascus.
Erdogan's speech that al-Sharaa appeared to ignore was one of the most hostile toward Israel on the assembly's opening day. The Turkish president called Gaza "the most inhumane, most shameful concentration camp of our time," prompting Israel's delegation to walk out.
The episode added to online scrutiny of the Syrian leader, who was once designated a terrorist by the United States. Al-Sharaa previously led the jihadist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, which grew out of al-Qaeda's Syrian affiliate, before leading the rebel offensive that toppled Bashar al-Assad. Critics online argued that his past should not be forgotten amid his diplomatic rehabilitation.
This is al-Sharaa's second appearance at the General Assembly. Last year he became the first Syrian leader to address the body in nearly six decades.
Al-Sharaa also made headlines on Wednesday for his comments on Israel. According to The Times of Israel, he said the October 7 massacre should not dictate Israeli policy and that "the problem is with Israel, not us."
