From Christmas trees being toppled by Syria's transitional government, to local women sold as slaves by terrorist "head choppers," to reports about a leading Syrian rebel leader being secretly Jewish: Misinformation and disinformation about Syria since the ousting of the authoritarian Assad regime has run from ridiculous to horrific, and there's more around than ever.

"It has markedly increased since the fall of the Assad regime," confirmed Zouhir Al-Shimale, a researcher and communications manager for Syrian fact-checking organization, Verify-Sy. "Years of revolution, then civil war, have left behind deeply entrenched grievances, and various factions — both local and international — are now leveraging disinformation to strengthen their positions, delegitimize rivals and further their own agendas," he told DW.

In early December, an offensive led by the Syrian rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, toppled the brutal, dictatorial regime of the Assad family, which had controlled Syria for 54 years. HTS were previously affiliated with extremist organizations like al-Qaeda and the so-called "Islamic State," or IS, group — although over recent years, had tried to move away from these groups.

Still, many ordinary Syrians were concerned about how the HTS-led rebels would behave, whether they would seek revenge or try to impose their brand of Islamist politics on others in the country who have different beliefs.

In particular, groups seen to support the Assad regime — such as Syria's Alawites, the religious minority the Assad family belongs to — were worried Assad's opponents would now take revenge on them.

So far at least, even as security remains a significant concern for civilians,........

© Deutsche Welle