Bashar al-Assad, the 24-year ruler of Syria, escaped the country on Sunday in a last-ditch effort to avoid his impending downfall. According to sources, Assad initially wanted to seek refuge in the United Arab Emirates but was rebuffed due to international sanctions.
As rebels seized key cities including Aleppo and Homs, Assad’s situation became increasingly dire. In a desperate bid to secure his safety, Russia intervened diplomatically, engaging Turkey and Qatar to facilitate his exit to Moscow. The Kremlin worked with neighboring states to ensure that a Russian plane carrying Assad would not be intercepted or targeted.
Assad’s flight was reportedly coordinated with HTS, an Islamist group designated as a terrorist organization by the US and UN. Despite claims of no contact between Qatar and HTS, sources suggest that arrangements were made for Assad’s safe departure.
In a phone call to his last prime minister on Saturday night, Assad appeared visibly distressed, acknowledging that his army was too weakened to mount an effective resistance. He replied with a reassuring phrase: “Tomorrow, we will see,” which became the last words he spoke before disappearing from public view.
With his family’s dynastic rule ending in 1971, Assad finally accepted the inevitability of his downfall and resolved to leave the country. His departure marks the end of an era for Syria and a new chapter in its turbulent history.
Source: https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/assads-final-hours-syria-deception-despair-flight-2024-12-13