Tipsheet

We Have an Update on Bashar al-Assad's Wherabouts

After nearly a quarter-century in power, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has fled the country. Rebel forces, who are really ISIS acolytes, engaged in a series of offensives that routed government forces and led to the end of the Syrian Ba’ath Party’s dominance in the country that’s lasted since the 1960s. As rebel forces took to state media to declare victory, a plane allegedly carrying the Syrian president disappeared near Homs. Was President al-Assad on the aircraft? For now, Russian officials are saying that he and his family are safe on Russian soil (via Fox News): 

Syrian dictator Bashar Assad, who fled the country Saturday as rebels closed in on the capital of Damascus, has arrived in Moscow and has been granted asylum by the Russian government, according to Russian News Agency Tass. 

Speculation about where Assad might land has been widespread since the longtime dictator fled the country, with allies such as Iran and Russia being at the top of the list. 

[…] 

Assad now arrives in Russia with his family, according to an Interfax news agency report, citing a Kremlin source. 

Well, until we see pictures, the initial reports of his whereabouts being unknown will likely predominate this story. Sorry, but Kremlin sources are as reliable as MSNBC. Also, it's nice to see that Joe Biden was briefed on this matter promptly, and by that, I mean reportedly at around 11 a.m.

Something to pay attention to as well: