In his first public remarks after fleeing Syria, Bashar al-Assad — who ruled the country for over two decades before being overthrown by rebel fighters — defended his regime and denied “planning” his departure as opposition forces advanced on Damascus, Al Jazeera reported.
A statement attributed to “President Bashar al-Assad” and released on the Syrian presidency’s Telegram channel on Monday stated that the country “fell into the hands of terrorism.” However, Al Jazeera noted that the statement has not been independently verified. Al-Assad has not made any media appearances since being granted asylum in Russia along with his family.
“First, my departure from Syria was neither planned nor did it occur during the final hours of the battles, as some have claimed,” the statement read. “On the contrary, I remained in Damascus, carrying out my duties until the early hours of Sunday, December 8, 2024.”
The statement further explained that as rebel forces, described by al-Assad as “terrorist forces,” entered the capital, he relocated to a Russian base in the coastal city of Latakia to “oversee combat operations.”
“With no viable means of leaving the base, Moscow requested that the base’s command arrange an immediate evacuation to Russia on the evening of Sunday 8 December,” the statement read, as quoted by Al Jazeera. “This took place a day after the fall of Damascus, following the collapse of the final military positions and the resulting paralysis of all remaining state institutions.”
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The former president remained unapologetic about his years in power, framing himself as the “custodian” of a national project supported by Syrians.
“I have carried an unwavering conviction in their will and ability to protect the state, defend its institutions, and uphold their choices to the very last moment,” the statement said. “When the state falls into the hands of terrorism and the ability to make a meaningful contribution is lost, any position becomes void of purpose, rendering its occupation meaningless.”
Opposition forces, led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), launched a major offensive from the northwestern province of Idlib last month. They reached Damascus in the early hours of December 8 and declared the end of more than 50 years of the al-Assad family’s iron-fist rule over Syria.
Al-Assad, who assumed the presidency after the death of his father Hafez in 2000, oversaw one of the most devastating wars of the 21st century. The conflict began in 2011 when Syrians took to the streets to protest against the government as part of the “Arab Spring” pro-democracy uprisings that swept through the Middle East.
The demonstrations were met with a deadly crackdown by security forces, transforming the protests into a prolonged armed uprising. Over 13 years, the war left the country fragmented and claimed hundreds of thousands of lives.
Rights groups have long accused al-Assad’s authoritarian government of rampant human rights violations.
According to Al Jazeera, opposition fighters and rights advocates claim to have uncovered more evidence of horrific abuses, including torture and mass executions, as they liberated prisons holding thousands of detainees across Syria this month. Tens of thousands of Syrians believed to have been in government custody remain unaccounted for.
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