Bashar al-Assad revealed little to anyone regarding his intentions to leave Syria as his regime crumbled. Instead, aides, officials, and even family members were misled or left uninformed, according to over a dozen individuals familiar with the situation who spoke to Reuters.

Just hours before his departure to Moscow, Assad reassured a gathering of approximately 30 military and security leaders at the defense ministry on Saturday that Russian military assistance was imminent and urged ground forces to remain steadfast, as recounted by a commander present at the meeting who requested anonymity.

Civilian personnel were equally unaware of the unfolding events. On Saturday, after concluding his workday, Assad informed his presidential office manager that he was going home, but he actually proceeded to the airport, as revealed by an aide close to him. He also contacted his media adviser, Buthaina Shaaban, asking her to come to his residence to draft a speech, only for her to arrive and find no one there.

“Assad didn’t even make a final stand. He didn’t rally his own troops,” remarked Nadim Houri, executive director of the Arab Reform Initiative, a regional think tank. “He abandoned his supporters to face their own destiny.”

Conversations with 14 individuals familiar with his last days and hours in power depict a leader searching for external assistance to prolong his 24-year rule, ultimately resorting to deception and stealth to orchestrate his escape from Syria in the early hours of Sunday. Most sources, including aides from the former president’s inner circle, regional diplomats, security officials, and senior Iranian representatives, requested anonymity to discuss sensitive issues candidly.

Assad did not inform his younger brother, Maher, who commands the Army’s elite 4th Armoured Division, about his plan to leave, as reported by three aides. Maher subsequently took a helicopter to Iraq and then traveled to Russia, according to one source.

Similarly, Assad’s maternal cousins, Ehab and Eyad Makhlouf, were left behind as the rebels took control of Damascus, as noted by a Syrian aide and a Lebanese security official. The two attempted to escape to Lebanon by car but were ambushed by rebels during their journey, resulting in Ehab’s death and Eyad being injured, according to the reports. There has been no official confirmation of Ehab’s death, and Reuters could not independently verify the details.

On Sunday, December 8, Assad himself departed from Damascus by plane, flying discreetly with the aircraft’s transponder turned off, as stated by two regional diplomats. This escape allowed him to evade the advancing rebels and marked the end of his 24-year rule, as well as his family’s 50-year reign, abruptly concluding the 13-year civil war. He landed at Russia’s Hmeimim airbase in Latakia before continuing on to Moscow. His immediate family, including his wife Asma and their three children, were already in the Russian capital, according to three former close aides and a senior regional official.

Videos captured by rebels and citizens at Assad’s presidential complex following his abrupt departure reveal a hurried escape, with evidence such as food left cooking on the stove and personal items, including family photo albums, abandoned.

RUSSIA AND IRAN: NO MILITARY RESCUE

There would be no military assistance from Russia, which had intervened in 2015 to shift the balance of the civil war in Assad’s favor, nor from his other key ally, Iran. This was made evident to the Syrian leader in the days preceding his exit, as he sought help from various sources in a frantic attempt to maintain his power and ensure his safety, according to interviews conducted by Reuters.

Assad traveled to Moscow on November 28, just a day after Syrian rebel forces launched an offensive in the northern province of Aleppo, but his requests for military support were met with indifference from the Kremlin, which was not inclined to intervene, as reported by three regional diplomats.

Hadi al-Bahra, the leader of Syria’s main opposition group abroad, stated that Assad misrepresented the situation to his aides back home, citing a source within Assad’s inner circle and a regional official. “He informed his commanders and associates after returning from Moscow that military assistance was forthcoming,” Bahra noted. “He was deceiving them. The message he received from Moscow was unfavorable.” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov informed reporters on Wednesday that while Russia had previously invested significant efforts in stabilizing Syria, its current focus was on the conflict in Ukraine.

Four days following that trip, on December 2, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi held a meeting with Assad in Damascus. At that point, the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) Islamist group had gained control of Aleppo, Syria’s second-largest city, and was advancing southward as government forces weakened.

During the meeting, Assad appeared visibly troubled and acknowledged that his military was too diminished to mount a substantial defense, as reported by a senior Iranian diplomat to Reuters. However, Assad did not request the deployment of Iranian forces in Syria, as two senior Iranian officials indicated he was aware that such an action could provide Israel with justification to target Iranian forces in Syria or even Iran itself.

ASSAD FACES HIS DEMISE

After exhausting all alternatives, Assad ultimately recognized the inevitability of his downfall and made the decision to leave the country, marking the end of his family’s rule that had persisted since 1971.

Three individuals from Assad’s close circle revealed that he initially sought refuge in the United Arab Emirates as rebels captured Aleppo and Homs and moved toward Damascus. However, they stated that the Emiratis turned him down, concerned about potential international repercussions for sheltering someone under U.S. and European sanctions for allegedly employing chemical weapons against insurgents—claims that Assad has dismissed as falsehoods. The UAE government did not respond promptly to a request for comment.

Nevertheless, while Moscow was not inclined to intervene militarily, it was also not ready to abandon Assad, according to a Russian diplomatic source who requested anonymity.

Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov led diplomatic efforts at the Doha forum in Qatar over the weekend to ensure the safety of Assad. He engaged with Turkey and Qatar to utilize their connections with HTS to facilitate Assad’s safe passage to Russia, according to two regional officials. A Western security source indicated that Lavrov did everything possible to arrange for Assad’s secure departure.

Despite both Qatar and Turkey officially denying any contacts with HTS, which is classified as a terrorist organization by the U.S. and the U.N., arrangements were reportedly made with HTS to assist in Assad’s exit, as stated by three sources. Additionally, Moscow coordinated with neighboring countries to guarantee that a Russian aircraft transporting Assad would not be intercepted or targeted, according to the same sources.

Qatar’s foreign ministry did not respond promptly to inquiries regarding Assad’s exit, and Reuters was unable to obtain comments from HTS. A Turkish government representative mentioned that there was no request from Russia to utilize Turkish airspace for Assad’s flight, but did not clarify whether Ankara collaborated with HTS to facilitate the escape.

Assad’s former prime minister, Mohammed Jalali, recounted a phone conversation with Assad on Saturday night at 10:30 PM. He expressed to Assad the severity of the situation, noting significant displacement from Homs to Latakia and the prevailing panic in the streets. Jalali quoted Assad’s response: “Tomorrow, we will see.” He added that “Tomorrow, tomorrow” were the last words he heard from the president. Jalali attempted to reach Assad again at dawn on Sunday but received no answer.