He assures that his departure was not “planned”. The ousted Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad, affirmed on Monday, December 16, that he had not premeditatedly fled Damascus, the day the capital was taken by the rebels. He claimed that Moscow had requested his evacuation.
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It was the first statement since his flight from Damascus. “My departure from Syria was not planned and also did not take place during the final hours of the battle, contrary to some allegations,” Bashar al-Assad said in a statement on the presidency’s Telegram channel. “Moscow demanded (…) an immediate evacuation to Russia on the evening of Sunday December 8,” added Mr. Assad, affirming that Syria was now “in the hands of terrorists”.
More information to come.