Former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad says the departure to Russia was not planned

Deposed Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said he did not intend to leave the country after the fall of Damascus a week ago, but the Russian army evacuated him after his base in western Syria was attacked.

These comments are the first made by Assad since he was overthrown by armed groups. Al-Assad said in a statement on his Facebook page that he left Damascus on the morning of December 8, hours after militants stormed the capital. He said that he left, in coordination with Russia’s allies, to the Russian base in the coastal province of Latakia, where he intends to continue fighting.

Al-Assad said that after the Russian base was attacked by drones, the Russians decided to transfer him to Russia on the night of December 8.

Al-Assad said: “I did not leave the country as part of a plan, as was reported earlier.”

A UK-based war monitor said Israeli air strikes early Monday hit missile depots in Syria, calling them the “heaviest strikes” since 2012. Israel has been bombing what it says are military sites in Syria after the dramatic collapse of Assad’s rule, eliminating… On air defenses and most of the former Syrian army’s arsenal.

Israeli forces also seized a border buffer zone, drawing condemnations, with critics accusing Israel of violating the 1974 ceasefire and possibly exploiting the chaos in Syria to seize territory.

Obstacles to establishing Syrian relations

Meanwhile, European Union countries on Monday set conditions for lifting sanctions on Syria and starting aid amid uncertainty over the intentions of its new leaders just over a week after they seized power.

At a meeting in Brussels, senior European Union diplomats said they wanted guarantees from members of the Syrian interim government that they were preparing for a peaceful political future that included all minorities, a future in which there was no place for extremism and its former allies, Russia and Iran.

Since Assad’s ouster, there have been few reports of reprisals, revenge killings, or sectarian violence. Most of the looting or destruction was quickly contained.

But the new leadership has not yet set a clear vision for how to govern Syria. The interim government was formed by former opposition forces led by the hardline Islamist group Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham, or Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham, a former branch of al-Qaeda, which is monitored by the European Union and the United States. And Canada Considering it a terrorist organization.

The interim government is scheduled to take power until next March. The Arab foreign ministers called for elections to be held under the supervision of the United Nations on the basis of a new constitution. The UN envoy to Syria urged the lifting of sanctions.

To understand more, the European Union is sending an envoy to Damascus to hold talks with officials, at least temporarily.

European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said the bloc wants to “form a stable, peaceful and inclusive government,” but it will likely take weeks, if not months, for Syria’s new path to become clear.

“Syria faces an optimistic and positive future, but it is somewhat ambiguous, and we have to make sure that this goes in the right direction,” she told reporters during a meeting of European Union foreign ministers. “For us, it’s not just about words, we want to see action.”

Syria has been torn apart after five decades of Assad family rule. Its economy has been decimated, poverty is rampant, inflation and unemployment are high, and corruption infiltrates daily life. Millions of people fled the country.

Hundreds of thousands of them live in Europe, and while some EU countries have suspended asylum applications from Syrian refugees, only those wishing to return will be helped to return home for the time being.

More than 100,000 Syrian refugees have arrived in Canada since 2015.

In 2011, the European Union began imposing asset freezes and travel bans on Syrian officials and organizations in response to Assad’s crackdown on civilian protesters, which turned into a civil war. Sanctions were imposed on about 316 people and 86 entities accused of supporting Assad.