Syria23 September, 20262 min read
Ahmed al-Sharaa Scrolls Instagram Reels During Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s UN General Assembly Speech
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Ahmed al-Sharaa seen scrolling Instagram Reels on his phone during Erdogan's UNGA speech. Video captured inside UN General Assembly hall, widely circulated on social media.
UNGA phone scrolling clip
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa appeared scrolling his mobile phone inside the United Nations General Assembly hall in New York, and the clip drew wide reaction after reports said he used the Instagram app during the official session. The clip reopened “the boundary between press coverage and privacy invasion,” as observers described the lensing and close-up of a personal screen content as intrusive.
The footage showed al-Sharaa scrolling through Instagram Reels and sharing clips while Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan delivered his speech at the UN General Assembly. The viral moment marked al-Sharaa’s second appearance at the UN General Assembly this year, after he became the first Syrian representative in nearly 60 years to address world leaders at the UNGA in 2025.
Reactions and app debate
Activists debated whether checking the phone for a few seconds while listening to formal words and speeches was a natural gesture among leaders and officials. Al-Jazirah Net warned that analyzing precise recordings of a phone screen could allow “them to track and compromise personal data,” describing it as a breach and a highly dangerous vulnerability at political and security levels.
JFeed said most reports identified the app as Instagram, but a commentator on X argued the screen showed Telegram. NDTV said the viral video appeared to show al-Sharaa watching short videos, more popularly known as reels, on his phone while Erdogan was addressing world leaders, and it added that the footage itself did not establish whether he was messaging someone or what he was watching.
Diplomacy backdrop and stakes
Kursiv Media Узбекистан said al-Sharaa arrived at the UN General Assembly with war, reconstruction and diplomacy on his agenda, but a viral clip showed him scrolling through Instagram Reels while Erdogan spoke. Kursiv Media Узбекистан said al-Sharaa had made history in 2025, becoming the first Syrian president in almost six decades to address the General Assembly after the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad.
NDTV said al-Sharaa told reporters in New York that an Israeli withdrawal from a self-declared security zone in Syrian territory was a necessary first step before talks could be held on reaching agreements between the two countries. NDTV also quoted al-Sharaa saying, “The Golan Heights is Syrian territory under recognition of the United Nations...So there is no discussion,” framing his position as he faced renewed scrutiny after the phone-scrolling footage.
