A little Reels break: Syria leader caught scrolling Instagram during Erdogan’s UN speech

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa appeared to find a moment for some social-media scrolling amid the speeches and diplomacy at the United Nations General Assembly.

A video circulating online shows al-Sharaa looking down at his smartphone and apparently flicking through Instagram Reels while Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan addresses world leaders from the UN podium in New York.

The footage quickly spread across social media, becoming one of the lighter moments from a General Assembly dominated by wars, geopolitical tensions and warnings over artificial intelligence.

Several reports, citing Kurdistan24, said al-Sharaa was scrolling through and sharing Reels during Erdogan’s address.

The footage itself, however, does not establish exactly what he was watching or whether he was sending anything to others.

Erdogan used his speech on Tuesday to press for wider recognition of a Palestinian state, criticise Israel’s actions in Gaza and renew his call for reform of the UN Security Council.

Al-Sharaa’s apparent distraction came during a politically significant visit of his own.

The former rebel leader became Syria’s interim president in January 2025 after forces led by his group helped topple Bashar al-Assad, ending more than five decades of Assad family rule.

Later in New York, al-Sharaa returned to weightier subjects.

In his own General Assembly address, he called for Israel to withdraw from Syrian territory and said Israeli attacks and incursions threatened Syria’s fragile recovery after years of war.

This is al-Sharaa’s second appearance at the UN General Assembly since taking power. In 2025, he became the first Syrian leader in nearly six decades to address the gathering.