Former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad issued his first statement since he was overthrown 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 resign or flee, adding that he remained in the capital, Damascus, until the last possible moment.
He claimed to have fled in the early hours of December 8, hours before rebels from the Islamist group Ha’yat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and other militias took control of the capital.
In his statement, posted on the official Syrian presidential channel on the Telegram messaging account, Assad said he had decided to speak out to “address an avalanche of disinformation and narratives far removed from the truth.”
‘My departure from Syria was not 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, December 8, 2024.
‘At no time during these events did I consider resigning or seeking refuge, nor any such proposal made by any individual or party. The only course of action was to continue fighting against the terrorist onslaught,’ the former president stated.
He later described himself as a dedicated leader and family man who remained in Syria throughout the civil war “alongside his people,” even as his forces conspired with the Russian military, Hezbollah, and various Iranian-backed militias. to massacre thousands of Syrians.
“I have never sought positions for personal benefit, but I have always considered myself the custodian of a national project, supported by the faith of the Syrian people, who believed in their vision,” he insisted.
He concluded the statement by saying he was “full of hope that Syria will once again be free and independent.”
Former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad issued his first statement since he was overthrown by rebel groups and fled to Russia less than two weeks ago.
People celebrate the collapse of 61 years of Baath Party rule as they gather in Umayyad Square after armed groups opposing the Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad took control in Damascus, Syria, December 9, 2024 .
People in Damascus celebrate December 9, 2024, after Islamist-led rebels declared they had taken the Syrian capital in a lightning offensive.
Body bags lie in a field after a mass grave was discovered on agricultural land in Izra, in Syria’s southern Daraa province, on December 16, 2024.
While Assad struggles in Moscow, HTS aims to bring Syria under control, establish a transitional government and work to provide aid and services to civilians.
Last week, HTS went on state television to announce Mohammad al-Bashir, the head of the group’s so-called “Salvation Government” in Syria’s northwestern Idlib province, as interim prime minister of a transitional cabinet that He will remain in office until March 1.
But the transitional government’s seemingly stable beginnings belie what is developing elsewhere in Syria.
There are signs of a new civil war in the north as militants from the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA) invade Kurdish-controlled areas.
Widespread reports claimed that the SNA was looting Kurdish homes, while shocking videos emerged that appeared to show Turkish-aligned rebels executing wounded Kurdish soldiers as they lay in hospital beds in the city of Manbij.
Meanwhile, Israel carried out widespread airstrikes and bombing campaigns designed to demolish weapons stockpiles and military equipment left by regime forces, while advancing troops and tanks toward the buffer zone separating Syria from the Heights. Golan occupied by Israel.
Other reports claim that ISIS fighters captured and executed Syrian government forces as they fled the HTS attack through the Homs desert last week.