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Bashar Assad told almost no one about his intention to flee Syria when he realized his regime was collapsing. He hid his escape from his aides, associates, and even his family. Hours before he fled to Moscow, the president promised, at a meeting at the Defense Ministry attended by about 30 senior military and security officials, that Russian aid was on the way and called on the forces on the ground to hold out.
On Saturday, when he finished work, Assad told his office manager that he was going home – but instead, he went to the airport. He also called his media advisor, Buthaina Shaaban, and asked her to come to his house to write a speech. When Shaaban arrived, she found no one at home.
Reuters interviewed 14 sources who were familiar with Assad's final days in power. They describe a dictator seeking outside help to survive in power and secretly fleeing his country when he realized his rule was ending. According to Reuters, Assad did not even inform his younger brother Maher, commander of the army's Fourth Division, of his departure. Maher took off by helicopter to Iraq and, from there, continued to Russia, where Bashar is also allegedly staying with his wife and children. Ihab and Ied Makhlouf, Assad's maternal cousins, could not escape. When Damascus fell to the rebels, the two tried to flee by car to Lebanon but were caught in a rebel ambush. They killed Ihab and wounded Ied.
On Sunday, December 8, Assad took off from Damascus. The plane he was on turned off its transmitters to disappear from radar. Assad then arrived at the Russian Khmeimim Air Force base in the coastal city of Latiqiyah and continued to Moscow on a Russian plane. The videos from his palace, which was stormed by rebels and later by civilians who looted valuable items, testify to the speed with which he left his country: there was still food left in the stove, and personal belongings were also left in the palace - including family photos and photos of Assad in his youth.
In the days leading up to his escape, as he tried to cling to power and ensure his safety, Russia and Iran who had provided him with significant assistance in the war made it clear to him that this time they would not save him. Assad visited Moscow on November 28, the day after the rebels' surprise attack began. The Kremlin did assist him with airstrikes against the rebels, but Assad requested ground military intervention – and refused.
Hadi al-Bahra, the head of the exiled Syrian opposition, said Assad did not tell the truth to his aides in Syria. "After the trip to Moscow, he told his commanders and aides that the military aid was coming. He lied to them. The message he received from Moscow was negative." Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Wednesday that Russia had invested a lot of effort to help stabilize the regime in Syria. Still, the war in Ukraine is its top priority.
On December 2, four days after his trip to Moscow, Assad met with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi in Damascus. By then, the rebels had already taken control of Aleppo and rapidly captured additional territory. A senior Iranian diplomat told Reuters that Assad appeared distressed at the meeting and admitted that his army was too weak to repel the rebels. Iranian officials noted that Assad never asked Tehran to deploy troops in Syria, however, because he understood that Israel would likely use the move as a pretext to attack Iranian elements in Syria or in Iran itself.
After exhausting his options, Assad decided to accept the overthrow of his regime and leave the country – ending a dynasty that began in 1971 when his father, Hafez, came to power. Three of his associates told Reuters he initially wanted to flee to the United Arab Emirates. Still, the Emirates refused to grant him asylum for fear of a reaction from the international community. Moscow, which did not agree to military intervention, did not want to abandon Assad and granted him asylum.
After exhausting his options, Assad decided to accept the overthrow of his regime and leave the country – ending a dynasty that began in 1971 when his father, Hafez, came to power. Three of his associates told Reuters he initially wanted to flee to the United Arab Emirates. Still, the Emirates refused to grant him asylum for fear of a reaction from the international community. Moscow, which did not agree to military intervention, did not want to abandon Assad and granted him asylum.
After exhausting his options, Assad decided to accept the overthrow of his regime and leave the country – ending a dynasty that began in 1971 when his father, Hafez, came to power. Three of his associates told Reuters he initially wanted to flee to the United Arab Emirates. Still, the Emirates refused to grant him asylum for fear of a reaction from the international community. Moscow, which did not agree to military intervention, did not want to abandon Assad and granted him asylum.
Muhammad al-Jalali, who was Assad's prime minister and handed over power to the rebel transitional government this week, spoke to him at 10:30 p.m. on Saturday. "In our last conversation, I told him how difficult the situation was. I told him that there were a huge number of displaced people who had left Homs towards Latakia and that there was terror and fear in the streets. He answered me: 'We'll see tomorrow.' That was the last thing he said to me: 'Tomorrow, tomorrow.'" Jalali tried to reach Assad the next day, but there was no answer.
- Ynet and Reuters News.