'Pray for us. They've arrived': How Syria descended into revenge bloodshed

FILE PHOTO: A fighters of the ruling Syrian body steps on a Syrian flag under Bashar al-Assad rule, laying on the ground next to a picture of ousted Syria's Bashar al-Assad, in Aleppo, Syria, December 17, 2024. REUTERS/Umit Bektas/File Photo

DAMASCUS (Reuters) - The cries for revenge reached fever pitch on March 6.

Dozens of messages posted by various armed factions on social media, and shared with hundreds of thousands of Syrians, called for a "general mobilization" - or "al nafeer" - to help crush a fledgling insurgency by supporters of deposed and widely hated leader Bashar al-Assad.