Deposed Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, in a statement written by him on Monday, said he did not plan to leave the country as the rebels tried to head for Damascus, but he said Russia had pulled him out.
“It never happened during these events, I did not think of stepping down or seeking refuge, and such a proposal was not made by any person or group,” said al-Assad, in an unverified statement posted on the Syrian presidential channel Telegram.
“My departure from Syria was not planned and it did not happen in the last hours of the war as some say,” added al-Assad, who took power in Syria in 2000 following the death of his father.
He stayed in Damascus until the morning of December 8 before moving to Russian territory in the coastal city of Latakia “to supervise combat operations.”
After that, the base of Hmeimim was heavily attacked by drone strikes, which made Moscow plan to be evacuated to Russia immediately in the evening of December 8.
Syrian rebels took control of Damascus last week, after making major gains against al-Assad’s forces during a lightning offensive in the war-torn country.
A man burns an effigy of Bashar al-Assad near the border between Syria and Lebanon. Rebels launched a shocking offensive across Syria in late November, ousting al-Assad and ending more than half a century of Assad family rule. Photos by Sally Hayden/SOPA via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
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