Assad said, "I did not leave the country as part of a plan as it was reported earlier," and explained that after the Russian base came under attack by drones, the Russians decided move him away from Damascus.
Ousted Syrian leader Bashar Assad in his first public statement since the fall of his government has claimed that he had no plans to leave the country on December 8 but the Russian military evacuated him after their base in western Syria came under attack.
Assad said, "I did not leave the country as part of a plan as it was reported earlier," and explained that after the Russian base came under attack by drones, the Russians decided move him away from Damascus.
Bashar Asssad had fled to Moscow on December 8 after the rebels groups took over Damascus ending the over 50 years of iron rule of the Assad family.
The rebel advances that began on November 27 were the largest in recent years, and saw the cities of Aleppo, Hama and Homs fall within days as the Syrian army failed to resist. Russia, Iran and Lebanon's Hezbollah militant group, which provided crucial support to Assad throughout the uprising, abandoned him as they reeled from other conflicts in West Asia region.
Assad said in a statement on his Facebook page that he left Damascus on the morning of Dec 8, hours after insurgents stormed the capital.
He said he left in coordination with Russian allies to the Russian base in the coastal province of Latakia, where he planned to keep fighting.
Assad in his statement said, "At no point during these events did I consider stepping down or seeking refuge nor was such proposal made by any individual or party" and continued, "The only course of action was to continue fighting against the terrorist onslaught."
Towards the end of the statement, Assad said, "As terrorism spread across Syria and ultimately reached Damascus on the evening of Saturday 7 December 2024, questions arose about the president's fate and whereabouts. This occurred amidst a flood of misinformation and narratives far removed from the truth, aimed at recasting international terrorism as a liberation revolution for Syria."