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Deposed Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad made his first comments since rebels defeated his regime in a blitzkrieg military advance – claiming he had been evacuated to Russia by the Moscow military after the base where he was hiding was attacked by a drone.
Assad claimed he had no intention of leaving the country, but was evacuated from the Hmeimim base in Syria on the evening of December 8, after leaving Damascus that morning, and opposition fighters closing in.
The comment, in a statement posted on the Syrian Presidency’s Telegram channel and dated December 16 from Moscow, was Assad’s first in public since he was ousted.
Assad said in a statement on his Facebook page that he had left Damascus in coordination with Russian allies for a Moscow base in the coastal province of Latakia, where he said he planned to continue fighting.
The former leader, whose family ruled Syria with an iron fist for 50 years, said the Russians decided to transfer him to Moscow after a Russian base was attacked by drones. “I did not leave the country as part of a plan as previously reported,” Assad said.