Bashar al-Assad speaks out, stating that he had no intention of leaving Syria

Syria’s Bashar al-Assad released his first statement since his removal from power, revealing that he was evacuated to Russia from the Hmeimim base on December 8, following a drone assault, after departing from Damascus earlier that day as rebel forces advanced. His written communication was shared on the Syrian presidency’s Telegram channel and is dated December 16 from Moscow, where he has sought asylum.

Assad was ousted after a rapid offensive by insurgent groups, primarily led by the Islamist faction Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, which culminated in the end of over 50 years of authoritarian rule by his family.

“In no instance during these events did I contemplate resigning or seeking refuge, nor was such a suggestion made by any party,” Assad stated, elaborating on the events that led to his exit from Syria. He mentioned that he had remained in Damascus, fulfilling his responsibilities until the early hours of December 8.

“As terrorist groups infiltrated Damascus, I coordinated with our Russian allies to relocate to Latakia to oversee military operations,” he explained.

However, upon reaching the Russian air base at Hmeimim that morning, “it became evident that our forces had entirely retreated from all fronts and that the last military positions had collapsed.” The Russian military base faced “increased drone strike attacks,” and “with no feasible way to exit the base, Moscow requested that the command arrange for an immediate evacuation to Russia,” according to the statement.

On December 9, the Kremlin announced that President Vladimir Putin had decided to offer asylum to Assad in Russia, following the deployment of its air force to Syria in 2015 to assist him in combating rebel forces.

According to a report from Reuters last week, Assad shared his intentions to escape Syria with very few individuals. Instead, aides, officials, and even family members were misled or left uninformed, as revealed by over a dozen sources familiar with the situation.