Former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad broke his silence after the fall of his government on December 8, releasing a statement detailing the events that took place in Syria in early December.
“First of all, my departure from Syria was neither planned nor occurred during the last hours of the fighting, as some have claimed. On the contrary, I remained in Damascus, Sunday, December 8, 2024. Performed his duties until morning,” a statement posted on the Syrian presidency’s Telegram channel quoted Bashar al-Assad as saying on Monday, Russian and Arab media reported.
The first statement since Assad left Damascus for Moscow last Sunday, the authenticity of the statement could not be independently verified.
“When a state falls into the hands of terrorism and the ability to make a meaningful contribution is lost, any position becomes meaningless,” the statement added.
Armed militants led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) overthrew the Assad regime on December 8 after a mild operation that was launched in their stronghold in the northwest and reached the capital in 12 days.
“As the terrorist forces entered Damascus, I went to Latakia with our Russian allies to monitor the combat operations. Upon arrival at Hammeim Airbase that morning, it was clear that our forces were completely out of line on all battle lines. But have retreated and the last army positions have fallen,” the statement quoted Assad as saying.
As the security situation worsened and the Russian military base in Latakia came under attack, Assad said Moscow instructed the base’s command to arrange for an “immediate evacuation of Russia.”
Russian media reported that President Vladimir Putin had personally given asylum to Bashar al-Assad in Moscow.