Syrian President Bashar Assad, left, speaks with Russian President Vladimir Putin during a meeting in Moscow, Russia, on July 24, 2024. Ousted Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad says he had planned to keep fighting but the Russians evacuated him, in his first public statement since fleeing to Moscow over a week ago. Valery Sharifulin, Sputnik/AP
NEWSWEEK | Published December 16, 2024
Ousted Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad says he had planned to keep fighting but the Russians evacuated him, in his first public statement since fleeing to Moscow over a week ago.
Assad clarified that his departure from Syria was unplanned and did not occur during the “final hours of the battles.” He explained that he had traveled to Latakia, a Russian military base in Syria, to “oversee combat operations” when Moscow arranged for his evacuation to Russia.
“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,” Assad stated, emphasizing his intention to remain involved in Syria’s ongoing crisis.
Has Assad Given Up on Syria?
Assad asserted that he remains the “same person” who, since the onset of Syria’s civil war, “refused to barter the salvation of his nation for personal gain or to compromise his people in exchange for numerous offers and enticements.”
“The only course of action was to continue fighting against the terrorist onslaught,” he said.
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SOURCE: www.newsweek.com
RELATED: Syrian dictator Assad issues astonishing first statement since he was toppled: Tyrant insists he wanted to keep fighting and claims Putin ‘forced him’ to flee
Published December 16, 2024
Former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has issued his first statement since he was deposed by rebel groups and fled to Russia less than two weeks ago.
Assad, speaking from Moscow where he sought refuge, said that ‘at no time during the events that have taken place in Syria‘ did he intend to step down or flee, adding that he remained in Damascus until the last possible moment.
He claimed to have left the capital for Russia’s Hmeimim air base near Latakia in the early hours of December 8, shortly before Islamist rebels from Ha’yat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and other militias seized the city.
In a statement released via the Syrian Presidential Telegram channel, Assad said he was addressing ‘a flood of misinformation and narratives far removed from the truth’.
‘My departure from Syria was neither planned nor during the final hours of the battles, as some claim. I remained in Damascus, carrying out my duties until the early hours of Sunday, December 8, 2024.
‘At no point did I consider stepping down or seeking refuge, nor was such a proposal made by any individual or party. The only course of action was to continue fighting against the terrorist onslaught,’ Assad declared.
He went on to insist that he was forced to leave Syria when Hmeimim air base came under drone attack, prompting Moscow to order his evacuation.
Assad portrayed himself as a devoted leader and family man who remained ‘alongside his people’ throughout the civil war—even as his forces, allied with Russia, Hezbollah, and Iranian-backed militias, were responsible for thousands of deaths.
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SOURCE: www.dailymail.co.uk
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