FACT CHECK: Image Shows Poet, Not Syrian Leader’s Wife

An image shared on X claims to show Syrian leader al-Jolani’s wife.

President and First Lady of #FreeSyria pic.twitter.com/faBX5oXwMG

— Hassan of Alamut (@sepidrud) January 17, 2025

Verdict: False

The image shows a Syrian poet, not the wife of the leader of the Syrian transitional government.

Fact Check:

Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, also known as al-Jolani, said that Trump could bring peace to the Middle East, according to the Times of Israel.

Social media users are claiming to show al-Jolani with his wife. One user wrote, “President and First Lady of #FreeSyria.”

This claim is false. Through a reverse image search, Check Your Fact found that the image shows poet Alaa Mustafa Ali. The image was shared on social media by Syrian accounts.

The Syrian Arab News Agency reported that al-Jolani met with Syrian poets and authors on Jan. 15. One of the images shows Ali sitting in a group with al-Jolani.

Leader al-Sharaa meets a delegation of Syrian writers and poetshttps://t.co/LKNtklrS4T pic.twitter.com/KAZbdNZCYJ

— SANAEnglishOfficial (@SANAEnOfficial) January 16, 2025

“Leader al-Sharaa meets a delegation of Syrian writers and poet,” reads the tweet. (RELATED: Does Video Show South African Firefighters Arriving To Help California?)

Tal Hagin, an analyst and research fellow with Fake Reporter, also debunked the claim in a Jan. 17 thread.

This isn’t the wife of the de-facto Syrian leader, Ahmed al -Sharaa.

This photo was reportedly taken with the poet, Alaa Mustafa Ali after a meeting with various poets and writers on January 15th, 2025. https://t.co/KXyw3IW1zS pic.twitter.com/kOhRWEQMWn

— Tal Hagin (@talhagin) January 18, 2025

“This isn’t the wife of the de-facto Syrian leader, Ahmed al -Sharaa. This photo was reportedly taken with the poet, Alaa Mustafa Ali after a meeting with various poets and writers on January 15th, 2025,” reads one of Hagin’s tweets.