During his first speech since the fall of his government, the former Syrian president said he did not consider giving up power
The former president of Syria, Bashar al-Assad, denied this Monday (Dec 16, 2024) that he had renounced power and gone to Russia of his own free will.
“My departure from Syria was not planned nor did it occur in the final hours of the battles, as some have claimed.”said al-Assad in his first statement since the fall of his government on December 8. Here is the statement (PDF – 190 kB, in English).
The former leader also said that he never considered renounce power. He stated that he remained in the capital Damascus, carrying out its duties, until the early hours of Sunday.
However, As rebel forces advanced on the capital, he deployed to Latakia, in coordination with Russian allies, to oversee combat operations.
When he arrived at the Russian Hmeimim air base, he noticed that Syrian forces had completely withdrawn from the battle. “The last positions of the army had fallen”he said.
Despite the situation, al-Assad said it did not lessen his sense of belonging to Syria and its people. “It is a belonging full of hope that Syria will be free and independent again”, he concluded.
On Tuesday (Dec 10), Syria’s rebel forces appointed the country’s interim prime minister. In a televised announcement, al-Bashir said he would stay in office until March 1 to ensure the formation of a new transitional government.
Remains of al-Assad
The government of Bashar al-Assad, which had been in power for 24 years, fell on December 8 when rebels from the HTS (Hayat Tahrir al-Sham) group.
HTS is the successor to the al-Nusra front, founded in 2011 as a group affiliated with Al Qaeda in Iraq and with jihadist ideology. Defend a “holy war” to establish Sharia, Islamic law. The Assad regime, on the other hand, is secular or secular, that is, it separates government from religion. The organization is considered one of the most effective and deadly against the government.
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