The Russian Foreign Ministry said President Assad resigned and left Syria after ordering a peaceful transfer of power.
“According to the results of negotiations between President Bashar al-Assad and a number of parties participating in the armed conflict on Syrian territory, he decided to resign and leave the country after instructing the effective transfer of power. peace. Russia does not participate in these dialogues,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said today.
Russian officials did not say where Mr. Assad is currently, and expressed “extreme worry” about the situation in Syria and called on all sides to refrain from using violence. “We call for resolving all problems through political means and are in contact with all opposition groups in Syria,” a statement from the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
The agency also said Russian military bases in Syria have been placed on high alert, but there is currently no serious threat.
Anas al-Abda, an official with the Syrian rebel alliance, said they were “unsure” of Mr. Assad’s movements. Prime Minister Mohammed al-Jalali’s government has not commented on the information.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad during his visit to Russia in July. Photo: AFP
The armed organization Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) announced on December 8 that a coalition of anti-government forces had occupied the capital Damascus and President Assad “ran away”.
HTS and allied groups once controlled Aleppo and many large territories in northern Syria, before Russia in 2015 sent forces to help deal with the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS) and rebel groups. troops at the request of President al-Assad’s government.
With the support of Russian air force, the Syrian army defeated IS and pushed rebel groups back to the area in the north of the country, bordering Türkiye. Since 2016, HTS and its allies have no longer had significant military operations in Syria. Russia then withdrew its forces from Syria, maintaining only a few units at two bases in the west of the country.
After the Ukraine conflict broke out in February 2022, Russia seemed to have withdrawn most of its forces from Syria and left only a few units stationed at large bases, instead of holding small outposts.