Damascus: Bashar al-Assad’s departure from Syria was cloaked in secrecy, marked by deception, and punctuated by despair. Confiding in almost no one, the Syrian leader orchestrated his escape as his regime crumbled. Aides, officials, and even close relatives were left in the dark, with many learning of his departure only after he had fled.
Hours before fleeing to Moscow, Assad addressed around 30 military and security chiefs at the defense ministry, assuring them that Russian military reinforcements were imminent. A commander present at the briefing recalled Assad urging ground forces to hold their positions, despite his own plans to leave the country. Civilian staff were similarly deceived. Assad told his presidential office manager he was heading home after work on Saturday but instead went directly to the airport.
A close aide revealed that Assad had summoned his media adviser, Buthaina Shaaban, to his residence to help draft a speech, only for her to find the house empty upon arrival. “Assad didn’t even make a last stand. He didn’t rally his own troops,” said Nadim Houri, executive director of the Arab Reform Initiative.
A Stealthy Exit
Assad fled Damascus early on Sunday, December 8, 2024, under the radar with his aircraft’s transponder switched off. The flight, shrouded in stealth, marked the abrupt end of his 24-year rule and his family’s 53-year dominance over Syria. He first flew to Russia’s Hmeimim airbase in Latakia before continuing to Moscow, where his wife Asma and their three children had already arrived.
Videos taken by rebels and civilians inside Assad’s abandoned residence highlighted the hasty nature of his exit, with cooked food left on the stove and family photo albums scattered about.
Betrayed Allies
Assad kept his plans hidden even from his closest allies. His younger brother, Maher, commander of the elite 4th Armored Division, was left unaware and fled separately to Russia via Iraq. Similarly, Assad’s maternal cousins, Ehab and Eyad Makhlouf, were abandoned. The two attempted to escape to Lebanon but were ambushed by rebels, leading to Ehab’s death and Eyad’s injury.
Russia and Iran’s Reluctance
Despite his desperate pleas, neither Russia nor Iran agreed to provide military intervention to rescue Assad. A visit to Moscow on November 28 failed to secure the support he sought. Hadi al-Bahra, head of Syria’s main opposition, stated, “He told his commanders and associates after his Moscow trip that military support was coming. He was lying to them.”
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi also met Assad in Damascus on December 2 but made it clear that Iranian forces would not be deployed, partly due to fears of Israeli retaliation.
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Diplomatic Maneuvering
While Russia refrained from military intervention, it worked diplomatically to ensure Assad’s safe passage. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov spearheaded efforts, engaging Turkey and Qatar to coordinate with rebel forces for Assad’s escape. Turkey and Qatar facilitated the arrangements despite their official stance of no contact with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a designated terrorist organization.
Russia also secured agreements with neighboring countries to prevent interference with Assad’s flight. Lavrov, according to a Western security source, did “whatever he could” to guarantee Assad’s safe departure.
A Dynasty Ends
Assad initially sought refuge in the UAE but was rejected due to international sanctions and backlash concerns. Moscow, despite its reluctance to intervene militarily, offered him political asylum, marking the end of his regime.
Assad’s final communication with his prime minister, Mohammed Jalali, encapsulated his resignation. Jalali recounted their last conversation, in which Assad responded to warnings of panic and displacement with a cryptic, “Tomorrow, we will see.”
With his departure, Syria’s civil war, which spanned 13 years and claimed hundreds of thousands of lives, drew to an uncertain conclusion.
