New Delhi:
Bashar al-Assad, in his first assertion since his regime fell in Syria final week, has denied a “deliberate” departure from his nation. The 59-year-old described his evacuation from Syria as a mandatory measure prompted by an onslaught of opposition fighters and drone strikes. In an announcement from Russia, the place he was relocated by Moscow’s intervention, Assad claimed Syria is now “within the fingers of terrorism.”
Bashar al-Assad got here to energy in 2000, succeeding his father, Hafez al-Assad, who dominated Syria with an iron grip for practically three a long time. In an announcement shared on the Syrian presidency’s Telegram channel, Assad denied hypothesis that his departure was deliberate or concerned any intention to relinquish energy.
“As terrorism unfold throughout Syria and finally reached Damascus on the night of Saturday 7 December 2024, questions arose concerning the president’s destiny and whereabouts. This occurred amidst a flood of misinformation and narratives far faraway from the reality, aimed toward recasting worldwide terrorism as a liberation revolution for Syria,” the assertion reads.
Once thought unassailable, Assad’s rule collapsed on December 8 underneath the stress of a fast offensive led by a bunch known as Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), previously referred to as the Al-Nusra Front affiliated with terror group Al-Qaeda, and allied factions.
Assad revealed that he left Damascus on December 8 as opposition forces superior into the capital. His evacuation to Russia adopted drone assaults on the Russian-controlled Khmeimim airbase in Latakia. Assad stated he oversaw fight operations from Latakia after fleeing Damascus however acknowledged that every one army positions had collapsed.
“With no viable technique of leaving the bottom, Moscow requested that the bottom’s command prepare an instantaneous evacuation to Russia on the night of Sunday 8 December This came about a day after the autumn of Damascus, following the collapse of the ultimate army positions and the ensuing paralysis of all remaining state establishments,” Assad stated in an announcement.
“At no level throughout these occasions did I take into account stepping down or searching for refuge, nor was such a proposal made by any particular person or get together. The solely plan of action was to proceed combating towards the terrorist onslaught,” he added.
Now in exile in Moscow, Assad added that his “profound sense of belonging to Syria” stays unshaken.
