Syrian rebels were falsely accused of defacing Palestinian flags following their capture of swathes of territory in northern and central Syria over the past week, part of a disinformation campaign by supporters of Bashar Al-Assad who claimed that the opposition are backed by Israel.
Videos shared by pro-Assad accounts show opponents of the regime stomping on what appears to be Palestinian flags after rebels seized Aleppo and other towns over the weekend.
The flag in question is in fact the banner of the Baath Party, which is almost identical to the Palestinian flag but is easily identified as a symbol of the regime for those brought up in Assad's Syria.
While the two flags appear almost identical, there are subtle differences in the designs with the Palestinian flag having a 1:2 ratio and the Baath banner 2:3, most visible in the elongated triangle of the Palestinian one.
While Israel has bombed hundreds of positions in Syria over the years, these airstrikes were primarily focused on Iran-linked militias such as Hezbollah, and the air campaign has been more focused on alleged weapons' smuggling routes to Lebanon, rather than regime positions in the battle against the rebels.
Tehran-linked militias and Hezbollah have been key to the Syrian regime's successes against the rebels, and the opposition counter-attack last week is viewed as being partly down to the withdrawal of Russian aircraft and Iranian fighters in recent months.
Netanyahu warned Assad last week against interfering in in Lebanon, saying he was playing with fire in his alliance with Iran, but Hezbollah has largely refrained from firing rockets despite Israel repeatedly breaking a ceasefire deal with the group.
The accusations regarding the flag are part of a sustained attempt by Assad supporters to tarnish the reputation of the opposition by linking the rebels to Israel as they sweep through Syria.
One rebel fighter in the recently recaptured city of Maaret al-Numan in southern Idlib province made this distinction as he defaced the Baath Party flag in a video, saying the opposition is with the Palestinian people.
"From inside the city of [Maaret] Al-Numan, this isn't the Palestinian flag, this is the flag of the Baath Party, we salute our brothers in Gaza and Palestine. Some videos came out saying we were stepping on the Palestinian flag, that can never happen!" he tells the camera.
"You are in our hearts, and your cause is our cause. This is the flag of the Baath party, who alleged they support the [Palestinian] resistance."
Despite routine accusations by supporters of the Assad regime that the rebels have Israel's support, there has been little proof of any cooperation between the two sides, and recent indications point to Tel Aviv being suspicious and concerned about the Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham-led advances.
While the rhetoric of the Syrian regime is highly critical of Israel, its military has not been engaged in major confrontations with it for decades, and there was no response from Assad to recent Israeli incursions from the occupied Golan Heights.
Israel recently beefed up security on its border with Syria due to fears that Islamist rebel groups — many of which are very hostile to Israel — will take control of the country.
HTS leader Abu Mohammed Al-Jolani previously joined Al-Qaeda in Iraq and took part in the insurgency in against the US-led coalition.
Photos this week were photoshopped to show supporters of the rebel offensive waving Israeli flags, in a bid to falsely portray regime opponents of being pawns in a regional Israeli conspiracy to overthrow Bashar Al-Assad. These were actually Palestinian flags before being doctored by pro-regime propagandists.
Rebels also proudly displayed the Palestinian flag on Aleppo's citadel, along with those of the Syrian opposition and Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham, the dominant faction in the anti-regime offensive.
Yazan Al-Saadi, °®Âþµº's International Editor based in Beirut and a Syrian-Canadian, has seen multiple attempts by supporters of the Syrian regime to tarnish the image of their opponents.
"It's unsurprising that supporters of the Assad regime are resorting to tired and tedious tropes of there being a 'calculated conspiracy' by Israel and/or the United States behind the lightning advances of the Syrian rebels, but the truth is much different," Al-Saadi told °®Âþµº.
"Both Israel and the US are very much concerned if the Assad regime collapses because a weakened Syria with Assad in control is the ideal scenario for them. Having anyone else in power could possibly open up the Golan front against Israel."
He said that while many Syrian activists remain wary about HTS and other rebel groups, the claims they have direct links or coordination with Israel are categorically false.
"I am wary of Jolani and much of the Syrian opposition due to contemporary history and their own crimes, albeit to a significantly lesser magnitude and scope to the crimes of the regime and its allies in Syria, and ultimately, Syrians deserve the absolute best — that means liberty and dignity."