CAIRO, December 16. /TASS/. Bashar Assad did not consider stepping down or seeking refuge at any point during the recent events in Syria, according to a statement his press service released on Telegram.
"At no point during these events did I consider stepping down or seeking refuge, nor was such a proposal made by any individual or party," reads the "Statement by President Bashar al-Assad on the Circumstances Leading to his Departure from Syria," released in Moscow. "The only course of action was to continue fighting against the terrorist onslaught," Assad stressed. However, he pointed out that "when the state falls into the hands of terrorism <...>, any position becomes void of purpose."
"My departure from Syria was neither planned nor did it occur during the final hours of the battles, as some have claimed. On the contrary, I remained in Damascus, carrying out my duties until the early hours of Sunday, December 8, 2024," the Assad noted. "As terrorist forces infiltrated Damascus, I moved to Latakia in coordination with our Russian allies to oversee combat operations," Assad stressed, adding that he had learned of the fall of Damascus after arriving at the Russian military base in Hmeimim. Meanwhile, "as the field situation in the area continued to deteriorate, the Russian military base itself came under intensified attack by drone strikes." That said, "Moscow requested that the base's command arrange an immediate evacuation to Russia on the evening of Sunday, December 8." By that time, the final military positions had collapsed and all remaining state institutions had been paralyzed, Assad observed.
The former Syrian leader emphasized that his "profound sense of belonging" to the country is "filled with hope that Syria will once again be free and independent."