Syrian boy Omran Daqneesh first shot to international attention when striking images of the child in the back of an ambulance were circulated by media around the world.
Bloodied and dazed, the boy came to symbolise the innocent victims of a war which has ravaged the country for more than five years - his brother was killed in the attack.
But new, far happier, images are now making headlines
In interviews with pro-Assad media outlets, Omran is shown smiling, playing and giving the peace sign.
Syrian government supporters have accused international media, the White Helmets and the US government of exploiting Omran to galvanise the international community against the Assad regime.
Pro-Assad journalist, Kinana Alloush, poses with Omran. Alloush made headlines herself last year for taking a smailing selfie with the copses of rebel fighters. Source: Kinana Alloush
Some even claimed the injuries were faked.
Despite international reports that Omran was injured in a government airstrike, his parents told pro-government media that they had no idea what caused the explosion.
The family refused large amounts of money offered by domestic and international media outlets to tell their story, his father said.
“They even offered housing in Turkey and the United States and Britain in exchange to leave Aleppo, but I refused. I am the son of this city,” he told Lebanon-based Al Mayadeen News.
Immediately after the attack, some outlets reported that the family declined to speak to media out of fear of government retribution.
The United Nations has said that all parties committed war crimes in the battle for Aleppo last year, in which the Syrian government ultimately won control of the rebel stronghold.
“The deliberate targeting of civilians has resulted in the immense loss of human life, including hundreds of children,” said Paulo Pinheiro, chair of a UN Human Rights Council Commission.
A March UN report slammed government and pro-government forces for targeting schools, hospitals and water stations, as well as continued use of prohibited weapons including cluster munitions, incendiary weaponry and chlorine gas.
Such actions showed “complete disregard for civilian life and international law,” the report said.
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