Syria’s interim president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, is in the limelight, not for his role as the leader of the country’s new government, but for going viral on social media after a video of him playing basketball was widely shared.

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In the clip, Ahmed al-Sharaa can be seen showing off his skills at the sport dressed in formal attire. 

The Syrian president was accompanied by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, Asaad al-Shaibani, as they both played basketball.

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Social media reacts

The video has gained millions of views after being reshared several times on social media in a short span of time. Although some netizens expressed doubts about whether the footage was true.

“Is this an AI or true?” a social media user asked, while another said that Asaad al-Shaibani posted the video on his Instagram account.

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A person questioned the video on X (formerly Twitter): "Is this an AI or true?" However, another said that Asaad al-Shaibani posted the footage on his Instagram account.

Another user commented, “He has great skills in basketball.”

Another person wrote, “Great, raising awareness in the community about the importance of exercise no matter how busy you are.”

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Syria’s interim leader

Sharaa, leader of the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), was appointed interim president in late January. The HTS group spearheaded Assad's overthrow. 

With a 23-member Cabinet, which is religiously and ethnically mixed, the new authorities in Damascus claimed that they would work to bring back stability to the war-torn country.  

Sharaa has expressed his commitment to "building a strong and stable state" after the new government was sworn in nearly four months after the Assad family was removed from power by Islamist rebels on December 8. 

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