Assad wrote for the first time from Moscow: I did not flee, I stayed until the last moment

December 16, 2024   

Ousted President Bashar al-Assad sent his first official message on the social network Telegram today (Monday) since the fall of his regime to the rebels - and his hasty escape from Syria. He wrote the words from his refuge in Moscow. He claims that he remained in Damascus until the last hours of its fall, and that his departure was unplanned and occurred under exceptional circumstances after the collapse of the army's last lines of defense. "At no point during the events did I consider resigning or seeking asylum, and no such proposal was made. The only course of action was to continue fighting against the terrorist attack," Assad claimed. He described the events from his perspective: "I only left when the terrorist forces reached Damascus. It was not planned. I then moved to the Russian-controlled camp in Latakia, to monitor the fighting, but following the situation and the drone attacks on the base, Moscow requested that I be urgently evacuated to Russia." The ousted president rejected claims that he "fleed" or sought asylum from the Russians: He criticized attempts to present what he calls the terrorist events as a "liberation revolution" and claimed that throughout the years of the war he had not abandoned the Syrian people. "I have never abandoned the Lebanese and Palestinian resistance and my allies." He added: "He who refused from the first day of the war to exchange the salvation of his nation for personal gain, or to compromise on his people in exchange for many offers and temptations, is the same person who stood alongside the army soldiers on the front lines. He is the same person who, in the darkest years of the war, did not leave but remained with his family alongside his people." Assad stated that he sees his role as a mission for the nation, but made it clear that, once the country fell into the hands of "terrorists," his presence was meaningless when there was no longer any ability to protect the country - therefore, he decided to relinquish his powers as president. He concluded by calling for hope for a free and independent future for Syria.