 "Syria's ousted leader Bashar al-Assad has fled to Moscow with his family. File image/Reuters")
Ousted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has arrived in Moscow with members of his family, Russian state media reported Sunday (December 8).
Assad, who ruled Syria for 24 years, left the capital, Damascus, following his removal from power amid a prolonged anti-regime uprising. He issued directives for a peaceful transfer of authority before his departure, according to a Kremlin source cited by the TASS news agency.
The rebel coalition, led by Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, began their lightning offensive on November 27, mounting one of the most significant challenges to Syrian President Bashar Assad’s regime in years.
Assad’s close ties with Moscow
The former Syrian leader and his family have been granted asylum in Russia, the source said.
Moscow was one of Assad’s biggest backers alongside with Iran during his presidency. Russia’s forces became militarily involved in the Syrian conflict, which had begun in 2011, in 2015, providing support for Assad’s forces to crush the opposition in the bloody civil war.
Following the fall of the Assad regime, Russia called for an emergency meeting of the UN security council on the fast-changing situation on the ground in the war-torn country.
Despite the ongoing conflict, the UN peacekeeping force, United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF), stated it continues to perform its mandated activities in the Golan.
What Kremlin, West said
The Kremlin has not yet commented officially on Assad’s status or any future plans for his role in exile.
Asked whether Assad was confirmed to be in Moscow, a Western official said they believed that was likely the case and had no reason to doubt the claims made by the Russian state-owned news agencies.
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More ShortsWith inputs from AFP