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Assad Deceives Aides, Flees to Moscow Amidst Syrian Regime Collapse

Dec 13, 2024, 02:47 PM

Bashar al-Assad, the former President of Syria, fled to Moscow with his family as his regime collapsed, leaving behind aides, officials, and even relatives without prior notice. According to reports, Assad deceived his military and security chiefs by assuring them that Russian military support was imminent, urging them to hold out against the advancing opposition forces. However, he secretly planned his escape, informing almost no one about his intentions. On the night before his departure, Assad told his office manager he was going home, but instead headed to the airport. His media advisor, Buthaina Shaaban, was asked to come to his home to write a speech, only to find it empty upon arrival. Assad did not even inform his younger brother Maher, a key military figure, about his plans, leading Maher to flee separately to Russia via Iraq. Assad's cousins, Ehab and Eyad Makhlouf, were left behind and reportedly ambushed while trying to escape to Lebanon. Assad's last words to his prime minister were 'Tomorrow, tomorrow,' indicating his uncertainty about the future. Assad's escape marked the end of his 24-year rule and his family's half-century of power in Syria, with the opposition forces taking control of Damascus shortly after his departure.