According to Telegram channel, Assad does not plan any escape from Syria

According to Telegram channel, Assad does not plan any escape from Syria

The unforeseen departure of the former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad from his country was announced on Monday via the Telegram Canal of the Syrian Presidency. The statement, which is allegedly comes from Assad, indicates that on the morning of December 8, 2024, he traveled to the Russian air base in Hmeimim after he was asked by Russia to evacuate the base when it got under fire.

asylum in Russia

It remains unclear whether Assad actually has control over the Telegram account. If the statement is authentic, it would be the first time that he spoke publicly about the events since his regime collapsed this month. The message says: "My departure from Syria was neither planned, nor happened in the last hours of fighting, as some say. On the contrary, I stayed in Damascus and fulfilled my duties until the early morning of December 8, 2024."

The situation in Hmeimim

that Assad learned after his arrival on the air base Hmeimim that "the last military positions fell" is also mentioned in the explanation. "Without a realistic way of leaving the base, Moscow asked for the command of the base to organize an immediate evacuation to Russia on the evening of December 8th. This was done one day after the Damascus case, after the collapse of the last military positions and the resulting paralysis of all remaining state institutions," said the statement.

hold on to fight

Furthermore, Assad added: "At no time during these events I thought of stepping down or looking for protection, nor was such a suggestion to be made by any person or party. The only way was to continue the fight against terrorism." He also found that his office as President had become "senseless" after the country was taken over by "terrorists".

The liberation of Damascus

On the morning of December 8, Syrian rebels "freed" the capital Damascus after they had entered the city with only minimal resistance from the regimen. Assad and his family reached Moscow after they were granted asylum for "humanitarian reasons", as an official Russian representative CNN announced on the evening of December 8th.

Russia's interests in Syria

The Kremlin said last Wednesday that the security of the military bases and diplomatic missions in Russia in Syria was "of the utmost importance". It was pointed out that Moscow had maintained contact with the new tour in Damascus. "We have to maintain contact with those who control the situation on site because, as I mentioned, we have facilities and staff there," said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov in a regular press conference.

Peskov refused to give details about how many Russian soldiers are in Syria or what the status of potential evacuations looks like.