Daraa is regarded as the birthplace of the Syrian Revolution

The city of Daraa is widely regarded as the birthplace of the Syrian Revolution. It was there, in 2011, that a group of teenagers spray-painted anti-regime slogans on a school wall, triggering a harsh crackdown by the Assad regime. This brutal response ignited widespread protests, eventually escalating into a civil war. Locals believe they were systematically targeted by the regime due to Daraa's symbolic role in the revolution. Obaida Hitto spoke with two of the young men behind the graffiti that marked the revolution's beginning.