Bashar al-Assad Defends His Rule After Fleeing Syria Amid Rebel Takeover

Former Syrian leader denies planning escape, claims Damascus fell to ‘terrorism’ as opposition forces seized control.

Moscow [Russia], December 17: In his first public statement after fleeing Syria, former President Bashar al-Assad defended his leadership and denied accusations of planning his departure as opposition forces seized Damascus earlier this month.

The statement, released on the Syrian presidency's Telegram channel, attributed the fall of Syria to "terrorism" and emphasized that his escape was not premeditated. However, the statement has yet to be independently verified, according to Al Jazeera. Al-Assad has remained out of the public eye since being granted asylum in Russia.

“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. It added that he remained in Damascus until December 8, 2024, when opposition forces entered the capital. Al-Assad claimed he moved to a Russian military base in Latakia to oversee operations as his forces lost ground.

“Moscow requested an immediate evacuation to Russia after the collapse of the final military positions and paralysis of state institutions,” he added, describing the fall of Damascus as a turning point.

Al-Assad defended his two-decade rule, positioning himself as a “custodian” of a national project supported by Syrians. “I carried an unwavering conviction in their will and ability to protect the state... When the state falls into the hands of terrorism, any position becomes meaningless,” he asserted.

The Fall of the Assad Regime

Rebel forces led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) launched a powerful offensive from Idlib last month. On December 8, they stormed Damascus, bringing an end to the 50-year rule of the al-Assad family, which began with Hafez al-Assad in 1970.

Bashar al-Assad’s presidency, which began in 2000 after his father’s death, oversaw one of the bloodiest conflicts of the 21st century. The Syrian civil war, which erupted in 2011 during the Arab Spring protests, resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands and left the country devastated and fragmented.

Human rights groups have long accused al-Assad's regime of severe human rights abuses, including torture, mass executions, and the detention of thousands of civilians. Recent discoveries by opposition forces, as they freed government-controlled jails, allegedly revealed evidence of more atrocities, including signs of systematic torture.

War’s Aftermath

With the fall of Damascus and al-Assad’s flight to Russia, the conflict’s aftermath remains grim. Thousands of Syrians detained by the government remain missing, leaving families uncertain about their fate.

The collapse of the al-Assad regime marks the end of a decades-long era of authoritarian rule in Syria, though the country’s challenges persist amid ongoing tensions and a fragile political landscape.