Tipsheet

Reports: Plane Carrying Syrian President Bashar al-Assad Reportedly Disappears

Matt Vespa
Matt Vespa  |  December 08, 2024 1:50 AM

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s government is no more. After nearly 14 years of civil war, the alleged rebel forces, who are an offshoot of ISIS, have announced on state media that al-Assad’s government has collapsed. The deposed Syrian president has fled the country. You knew his regime was finished when Iran, one of al-Assad’s closest allies, decided to cut and run as rebel forces pressed on toward Damascus (via WSJ):

Syrian rebels said they had freed the capital, Damascus, from President Bashar al-Assad’s dictatorship after a week of stunning military advances against his forces. Assad fled in the early hours of Sunday local time to an unknown destination, Syrian security officials said.

The rebels: Abu Mohammed al-Jawlani is the leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, one of the largest rebel groups mounting the offensive against Assad.

Reactions: Residents in Damascus and Homs celebrated in the streets, as some Syrians who supported the rebellion against Assad claimed victory.

What’s next: Syrian Prime Minister Mohammad Ghazi al-Jalali said he was ready to cooperate with any leadership chosen by the people.

Yet, there’s some intrigue regarding al-Assad’s exit. There were reports that his destination was Moscow. Yet, it appears as if his plane has disappeared. We don’t know if this is a diversion or a case of an aircraft being misidentified. We’ll update accordingly if anything changes, but for now, it seems as if the ousted Syrian leader’s aircraft dropped off the radar and is now missing near Homs.