Bashar al-Assad: Surprising Statement on Departure from Syria

After his fall due to a rebellion, Syria's deposed president Bashar al-Assad clarified that his departure from the country had not been pre-arranged. He stated that he had stayed in Damascus until he learned of the complete withdrawal of his troops. Assad announced in his first statement since his ousting that he remained in the capital until the early morning hours of the previous Sunday before heading to the Russian base Hmeimim on the Mediterranean coast. When drone attacks on the base had begun and leaving it by land became impossible, Moscow asked the new leadership for his immediate evacuation to Russia. "My departure was neither planned nor did it occur in the final hours of the battle," explained Assad. "At no point during these events did I consider resigning or requesting asylum, nor was such a proposal made by any person or party." The statement was published via the official Telegram and Facebook page of the former Syrian presidency. It was decided to do so as other publication attempts through Arab and international media had failed. The Russian news agency Tass also disseminated the news. Another point of his remarks was the radio silence following the offensive, which he justified with security measures.