Mr. Assad told almost no one about his plans to leave Syria before opposition forces invaded Damascus, according to the British news agency.
On December 7, a few hours before leaving for Moscow, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad held a meeting with about 30 military and security commanders at the Ministry of Defense headquarters in the capital Damascus, reassuring them that Russian military support is coming and the army is called on to hold out.
Mr. Assad told the president’s office manager that he would go home after finishing work, but went straight to the airport, the news agency said. Reuters December 13 quoted more than 10 people knowledgeable about the issue.
President Assad also called media adviser Buthaina Shaaban and asked her to come to his house to write a speech. However, no one was there when Mrs. Shabaan arrived.
The Syrian president also did not inform his younger brother Maher, commander of the elite 4th Armored Division, of his plans to leave the country, according to three of Mr. Assad’s advisers. Mr. Maher then flew to Iraq by helicopter before moving on to Russia, an adviser said.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad at the conference of the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in November 2023. Image: AFP
Mr. Assad left Damascus by plane on December 8 with his transponder turned off to avoid being tracked, while opposition troops stormed the capital. The Syrian president flew to Russia’s Hmeymim air base in the coastal city of Latakia and from there went to Moscow, ending more than half a century of power by the Assad family in Syria.
Assad’s wife and three children were waiting in the Russian capital, according to three former close aides and a senior regional official.
Images of President Assad’s home posted by residents and opposition forces showed that he left in a hurry, leaving behind some personal belongings such as family photo albums and cooked food on the stove.
Reuters sources said that in the days before leaving the country, Mr. Assad tried to seek support from many sides to maintain power and protect himself.
Mr. Assad visited Moscow on November 28, a day after anti-government forces attacked the northern province of Aleppo, to call on Russia to intervene militarily, but the Kremlin did not respond, according to three diplomats.
Hadi al-Bahra, the leader of Syria’s main opposition abroad, cited sources in Assad’s inner circle and a regional official as saying the Syrian President had not communicated the real situation to his advisers. consultation at home.
“He told his commanders and associates after his visit to Moscow that military support was coming, despite Moscow’s message that it was not,” Mr. al-Bahra said.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on December 11 that Russia has made great efforts to help stabilize the situation in Syria in the past, but its current priority is the conflict in Ukraine.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi (left) and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad (center) in Damascus on December 2. Image: Office of the President of Syria
Four days after his visit to Moscow, President Assad met Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi in Damascus. At that time, anti-government forces controlled the second largest city of Aleppo and were advancing south, while government troops were rapidly disintegrating.
A senior Iranian official said Assad looked very nervous during the meeting and admitted that the Syrian army was too weak to resist opposition forces. However, President Assad did not ask Iran to deploy soldiers to this country, because he understood that Israel could see this as an excuse to attack Iranian forces in Syria, even targeting Iranian territory.
After trying every measure, Mr. Assad finally accepted that the collapse of the government he led was inevitable and planned to leave the country.
Three people in the Syrian President’s close team said he initially planned to seek asylum in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), but was rejected by this country due to fear of backlash from the community. internationally for accepting people who are being punished by the US and Europe.
Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has been at the forefront of efforts to ensure President Assad’s safety. He asked Türkiye and Qatar to take advantage of their relationship with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the armed group leading the anti-government forces, to help Mr. Assad reach Russia safely, according to two regional officials.
A Western security source said Mr. Lavrov did “everything possible” to help Mr. Assad leave safely.
Three Reuters sources confirmed that Türkiye and Qatar had reached an agreement with HTS to facilitate the Syrian President’s departure, although officials from both countries said there was no connection with the armed group in official statements. .
Russia also coordinated with neighboring countries to ensure that its plane carrying Mr. Assad could leave Syrian airspace without being intercepted or targeted, according to sources.
Opposition supporters wave flags in celebration in Damascus on December 11. Image: AFP
HTS, Qatar has not commented on the information. A Turkish official said he had not received a request from Russia to use the country’s airspace for a flight carrying Mr. Assad, but did not mention whether Ankara would cooperate with HTS to help the Syrian President leave the country. or not.
Mr. Mohammed Jalali, the last prime minister of Mr. Assad’s government, said he called his superiors at 9:30 p.m. on December 7.
“In my last call, I told him how difficult the situation was and how many people were evacuating from the city of Homs to Latakia. The streets were filled with panic and terror,” Mr. Jalali said in an interview this week.
“He replied ‘We’ll see what happens tomorrow,'” the former Syrian prime minister said. “‘Tomorrow’ was the last word he said to me.”