Bashar al-Assad denies planning to leave Syria

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Ousted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad denied that his exit from the country was pre-arranged, saying he stayed until he was trapped in a military base that came under attack.

In his first statement since the rebel offensive began seizing control of territory about three weeks ago, Assad said he remained in Damascus until the early hours of Sunday, December 8, when he moved to the Russian base in Hmeimim on the Mediterranean coast.

The former leader said that with drone attacks on the base, and since departure by land became impossible, Moscow submitted a request to the base leadership for an immediate evacuation to Russia.

He said: “My departure was not planned and did not happen during the last hours of the battle.” “At no time during these events did I consider stepping down or seeking asylum, and no individual or party made such a proposal.”

The statement was published on the official channel of the former Syrian presidency on Telegram and on its Facebook page, and it was said that it was “the only viable option” after attempts to publish it through Arab and international media failed. As reported by the official Russian TASS news agency.

Assad was overthrown On December 8th By rebel forces led by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham, an offshoot of a former al-Qaeda affiliate that swept into Syria in a blitzkrieg to end the Assad family’s half-century rule, which was marked by brutal repression and corruption.

As the rebels advanced on the capital on December 7, Syrians around the world tuned into state television following widespread rumors that Assad would deliver a speech.

Instead, an army commander made a brief statement, warning Syrians not to believe what he claimed was a media campaign to sow discord.

After Assad failed to show up that night, thousands of his supporters left Damascus, believing their leader had abandoned them, according to people who left and footage shared on social media.

Al-Assad said that when he arrived at the base the next day, “it became clear that our forces had completely withdrawn from all battle lines and that the last army positions had fallen.”

Loyalist anger towards Assad has escalated since then, in the absence of any public statement. On Sunday, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced Assad’s resignation and his departure to Russia. She said that Russia “was not a party to those negotiations.”

Al-Assad said that the delay in issuing his statement was due to “the circumstances prevailing at that time, including a complete blackout of communications for security reasons.” He promised to provide a more detailed description of the events “when opportunity permits.”

“I never sought positions for personal gain, but rather I always considered myself a guardian of a national project,” he said, adding that his departure “in no way diminishes my deep sense of belonging to Syria and its people.” .