Ousted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad denied reports that he had left Syria as part of a “planned departure,” stating, “I remained in Damascus, fulfilling my responsibilities until the early morning hours of Sunday, December 8.”
In a statement attributed to Assad and published by Syrian presidential social media accounts, he explained, “As [terrorism] spread further into Damascus, I relocated to Latakia in coordination with Russian allies to oversee combat operations from there.”
“Upon arriving at the Hmeimim airbase in the morning, it became clear that forces had withdrawn from all combat lines, and the last military positions had fallen. With the worsening field situation in the area, the escalation of attacks on the Russian military base itself using drones, and the impossibility of leaving the base in any direction, Moscow requested the immediate evacuation to Russia on the evening of Sunday, December 8.”
Assad continued, “With the state falling into the hands of terrorism and the inability to offer anything further, the position becomes meaningless, and there is no value in holding onto it.”
He emphasized in the statement, “I have never sought office on a personal level but have always considered myself the bearer of a national project supported by the people who believed in it.”
On Sunday, December 8, the Syrian opposition announced that it had liberated Damascus and overthrown President Bashar al-Assad’s regime, which had lasted 24 years. In a statement broadcast on state television, the opposition declared, “By the grace of God, the city of Damascus has been liberated, and the tyrant Bashar al-Assad has been overthrown.”
Syrian armed factions, led by the Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), formed a temporary transitional government headed by Mohammed al-Bashir, which will remain in place until March 1, 2025.
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