Assad makes first statement after fleeing Syria
Photo: Bashar al-Assad (Getty Images)
The office of the former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad issued a statement on his behalf. It says that Assad stayed in Damascus on the morning of Dec. 8 and left the country only in the evening of the same day.
The appeal also states that his departure from Syria was not planned.
After the rebels entered Damascus, Assad “in coordination with Russian allies” moved to Lattakia to observe the fighting.
“Upon arrival at the Hmeimim airbase that morning, it became clear that our forces had completely withdrawn from all battle lines, and that the last army positions had fallen. <...> With no viable means of leaving the base, Moscow requested that the base's command arrange an immediate evacuation to Russia on the evening of Sunday, December 8,” the statement reads.
The statement also quotes Assad, who claims that “at no point during these events did I consider stepping down or seeking refuge” and did not receive any such offers.
The fall of the Assad regime in Syria
In November, large-scale clashes broke out in Syria between the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the forces of the Syrian National Army, and the troops of Bashar al-Assad's regime. The main goal of the rebels was to remove Assad from power and build a new Syria.
The situation forced Assad to flee to Moscow, where he reportedly announced a “voluntary transfer of power.”
Later, the Kremlin reported that Russian president Vladimir Putin had decided to grant Assad asylum in Russia.
