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The secret escape tunnels used by the Assad family were discovered afterwards their tyrannical regime was overthrown by A Syrian rebel forces over the weekend.
The video allegedly shows an underground network under Major General Maher al-Assad’s mansion Damascusshows a grand staircase leading down into a large compound with living rooms, metal doors and bedrooms.
Allegedly filmed by a rebel who helped storm the capital, the footage shows numerous rooms and a network of passageways. It read: “Massive tunnel complex under Maher Assad’s mansion, wide enough for trucks carrying Captagon and gold to pass through.”
Maher al-Assad has been overthrown President Bashar al-Assadbrother, led a unit of the Syrian army and served as a major general during his family’s autocratic regime.
This was followed by their downfall A 10-day blitzkrieg launched by rebel forces under Supreme Commander Abu Mohammed al-Golani, causing government forces to withdraw and fighters to seize the key cities of Aleppo, Homs and the capital.
In the two-minute video, you can see numerous boxes, documents and designer bags littering the empty corridors, as well as a kitchen full of Tetley tea and cans of Pepsi.
Assad’s 24-year reign of terror ended on Sunday, with him and his family fleeing to Moscow by plane after Vladimir Putin offered him sanctuary, ending six decades of rule by the Assad dynasty.
Considered one of the most brutal dictators of the 21st century, his regime is responsible for the deaths of around 300,000 Syrians, and the country has plunged into years of civil war.
Tens of thousands of Syrians celebrated across the country by firing guns into the air, waving rebel flags and entering his presidential palace, which has since been looted.
It is understood that his luxury vehicles, which included Mercedes, Ferraris and Audis, were also seized, while the rebels also stormed and looted the Iranian embassy.
Meanwhile, Syrian White Helmets volunteers investigated reports of prisoners trapped in hidden underground cells in the notorious Sednaya prison. For now, there is no “evidence confirming the presence of prisoners other than those who were released yesterday.” [Sunday]”, read the update on Monday.
Sir Keir Starmer has announced £11m of extra humanitarian aid funding for Syria after the Assad regime was toppled.
The money will help NGOs and the UN meet the needs of the country’s “most vulnerable” people, including an estimated 370,000 people displaced by recent events.