Syria: BBC interview with HTS leader sparks online backlash

A recent interview by the BBC with Syrian rebel leader Ahmed al-Sharaa has ignited controversy, with social media users accusing the British broadcaster of prioritising a "superficial" question about alcohol consumption over pressing humanitarian and societal issues facing the country.

Less than two weeks after Syrian rebel groups led by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) toppled President Bashar al-Assad, BBC international editor Jeremy Bowen interviewed HTS leader Sharaa, better known by his nom de guerre Abu Mohammed Jolani.

Aired on Thursday, the conversation in the former president’s palace in Damascus explored Sharaa's vision for Syria’s future after more than a decade of civil war.

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