Israel condemns Syria over purported Oct. 7 musical event: What to know
Israel, which has tense relations with Syria's new government, condemned a concert allegedly commemorating Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack, though the event was reportedly cancelled.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry condemned the Syrian government on Friday over an event in Aleppo that purportedly commemorated Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack, though the circumstances surrounding the gathering are unclear.
What happened: Edy Cohen, an Israeli commentator known for posting provocative content in Arabic, posted an image on X on Thursday allegedly showing an announcement from the Syrian Ministry of Culture. The announcement read that the ministry’s directorate in Aleppo would host a concert by the Palestinian Land Ensemble entitled “Al-Aqsa flood” — a reference to the term Hamas used for their attack on Israel. Cohen issued a “warning” to Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and Culture Minister Mohammed Yassin Saleh to cancel the event.
The Palestinian Land Ensemble is a musical group based in Aleppo, according to its Facebook page.
Syrians on social media claimed on Thursday and Friday that the concert had been cancelled. The Syrian fact-checking website VeSyria reported that a concert announcement had been posted on Nov. 6 “without obtaining the necessary approvals” and was not authorized by the Ministry of Culture, and that it was deleted the same day.
