Bashar al-Assad releases first statement since he fled Syria
Remarks attributed to al-Assad, released by the Syrian presidency’s Telegram channel, say state fell into ‘hands of terrorism’. In the first public remarks attributed to Bashar al-Assad since he left Syria, the deposed Syrian president has defended his rule and denied planning his departure as armed opposition fighters closed in on Damascus earlier this month. A statement said to be written by al-Assad and released on the Syrian presidency’s Telegram channel on Monday presented an account of how and why the former president fled Syria. “On the contrary, I remained in Damascus, carrying out my duties until the early hours of Sunday, December 8, 2024.” The statement added that as rebel fighters, who al-Assad described as “terrorist forces”, entered the capital, he moved to a Russian base on the coastal city of Latakia to “oversee combat operations”. But in Monday’s statement, attributed to “President Bashar al-Assad”, the former president sounded unapologetic about his years in power, saying he considered himself the “custodian” of a national project backed by Syrians.
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