President Bashar al-Assad has denied he had planned to escape Syria in the wake of the rebel takeover in a statement that purports to be his first since his overthrow earlier this month.
The statement was published on the Facebook page of the Syrian Presidency, which was linked to the now ousted government.
In it, Assad claims there was a “flood of misinformation” surrounding the circumstances of his exit from Syria.
“First, my departure from Syria was neither planned nor did it occur during the final hours of the battles, as some have claimed. On the contrary, I remained in Damascus, carrying out my duties until the early hours of Sunday 8th December 2024,” read the statement.
He said he then moved to Latakia in order to “oversee combat operations” at the Hmeimim airbase alongside his Russian allies. The base then came under drone attack and the leadership in Moscow ordered the evacuation to Russia.
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“At no point during these events did I consider stepping down or seeking refuge, nor was such a proposal made by any individual or party,” said the statement.
“The only course of action was to continue fighting against the terrorist onslaught.”
‘Organised in advance’
The statement stands in contrast to testimony from former government insiders who say Assad’s escape from Syria had been organised in advance.
More than a dozen people with knowledge of the events told Reuters last week that Assad had been looking for a way out of the country since at least 2 December, and that he had initially attempted to seek refuge in the UAE, but was refused.
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Russia had been heavily supportive of the Assad government in Syria and their intervention in 2015 was thought to have decisively turned the civil war in Assad’s favour after years of losing ground.
There are a number of Russian bases in Syria, which made the country a key ally for Moscow in the region.
However, Russia was either unable or unwilling to stymie a lightning takeover of major Syrian cities including Hama, Aleppo and Homs, which ended with the toppling of Assad’s government.
In the Monday statement, Assad said he had never led Syria for “personal gain” but instead saw himself as the “custodian” of Syria who defended the country up to the last moment.
He added that he also “never abandoned the resistance in Palestine and Lebanon”.
“When the state falls into the hands of terrorism and the ability to make a meaningful contribution is lost, any position becomes void of purpose, rendering its occupation meaningless,” he said.
“This does not, in any way, diminish my profound sense of belonging to Syria and her people – a bond that remains unshaken by any position or circumstance.”
