IT was an image that captured the sheer horror and senselessness of the Syrian war.

A little boy dazed, bloodied and confused. His tiny frame plopped onto a bright orange chair in the back of an ambulance. The thick blood smattered through his hair and dried to his bruised face. His blank stare reminiscent of many children of war who have witnessed so much death and destruction they no longer cry for help.

Omran Daqneesh was just five years old when he was almost killed in a catastrophic air strike during a siege on a rebel-held neighbourhood in Aleppo last year.

He was rescued along with his three siblings and his parents from the rubble of their partially destroyed apartment building. The building collapsed about an hour after the family was rescued.

Omran’s story captured the world’s attention after Syrian activists released haunting footage of him sitting in the back of an ambulance while covered in blood and masonry dust following the strike.

The image later went viral and inspired international outcry over the deadliest war of our time.

Omran was treated for head wounds and later discharged. Just days later, Omran’s brother Ali, 10, was killed by a collapsing wall.

Omran’s image was widely used to illustrate the brutality of the Assad regime as it tried to crush the opposition in Syria’s largest city.

New footage has this week emerged of Omran for the first time since his bloodied image gave a face to the suffering of Aleppo’s civilians.

It comes after his family was interviewed in Aleppo for Al-Mayadeen, a Lebanese television station supportive of the Assad regime.

Pro-Syrian government television presenter Kinana Alloush yesterday posted several images and a short video to her Facebook page which show Omran alive and well in Aleppo, now under the control of forces loyal to Bashar al-Assad.

The little boy can be seen smiling in the clip as he sits on his father’s knee and is shown the infamous photo of himself.

Ms Alloush — a reporter who once posted a selfie with the corpses of rebel fighters — published the images with the caption:

“The child Omran, those who tried to shed Syrian blood mislead the news that he was hit by the Syrian Arab Army.

“Here he now lives in the Syrian state with its army, its leader and its people.”

It was previously believed the Daqneesh family had crossed over into government territory as the rebels retreated from Aleppo.

The family has reportedly remained loyal to the Assad regime throughout the siege.

In a recent interview, Omran’s father said rebel groups and the international media wanted to use his son to attack the Syrian regime.

“They wanted to trade in his blood and published his photos,” he said.

megan.palin@news.com.au