Syrian President Bashar al-Assad issued his first public statement on Monday since being forced to flee the country after rebel forces took over the nation’s state institutions in a powerful offensive.
In a message on Telegram, Assad indicated that he did not initially plan on fleeing the country or stepping down from his position as president.
“My departure from Syria was neither planned nor did it occur during the final hours of the battles, as some have claimed,” he wrote, also noting that he “remained in Damascus, carrying out my duties until the early hours of Sunday 8th December 2024.”
Assad further explained, “At no point during these events did I consider stepping down or seeking refuge, nor was such a proposal made by any individual or party.”
The embattled president explained that with the advancement of the Turkey-backed rebels, his position had essentially been rendered futile. “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,” he said.
Assad detailed his movements during the conflict, noting that he relocated to Latakia’s Russian airbase to oversee combat operations. However, he found that Syrian forces had abandoned their positions. Hmeimim airbase also experienced “intensified attack by drone strikes,” at which point the Russians opted to airlift him to Moscow.
These events occurred the day after Damascus was overrun with rebel forces.
President-elect Donald Trump chimed in on the turn of events in Syria, referring to Turkey's role in Assad's ouster as "very smart."
President-elect Donald Trump characterized the rebel oustr of Syrian strongman Bashar al-Assad by Ankara-backed rebels as an "unfriendly takeover" by US ally Turkey as he addressed the conflict at a news conference Monday.
"I think Turkey is very smart... Turkey did an unfriendly takeover, without a lot of lives being lost. I can say that Assad was a butcher, what he did to children," Trump told reporters at his residence in Florida.
Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a prominent Syrian rebel group that was founded in 2017, spearheaded the assault that eventually resulted in the toppling of Assad’s regime. The group freed thousands of political prisoners. Their victory kicked off a wave of celebrations across the country.
Video footage circulating on social media showed Syrians tearing down a statue of members of the Assad family. Others have torn down portraits of the former leader.
Was waiting for a footage like this one. Syrians pull down Assad’s statue in Homs, chanting: “Freedom, forever, whether you like it or not Assad.” pic.twitter.com/VIkCSW9jnf
— Hussain Abdul-Hussain (@hahussain) December 7, 2024
Assad statue toppled pic.twitter.com/PdHJznB2R9
— Karli Bonne’ 🇺🇸 (@KarluskaP) November 30, 2024
HTS originally came from a terrorist group called Jabhat al-Nusra, which was created in 2012 as al-Qaeda’s official branch in the region. The group later claimed to have severed ties with the terrorist group in 2016 as part of a rebranding effort to gain more support. The United States designated HTS as a terrorist group in 2018. The label has not yet been lifted, and HTS’ leader, Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, has a $10 million bounty on his head.
While Assad has been exiled to Russia, he has still been in contact with regime loyalists in the region, but it is not clear whether he plans to try to regain his position as president.
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