Bashar al-Assad, the ousted Syrian ruler, said in a statement broadcast on Monday that he intended to continue battling rebel forces in the nation before being evacuated by Russia.
In a written statement posted on Telegram, 59-year-old Assad stated, “My departure from Syria was neither planned nor did it occur during the final hours of the battles.”
On Sunday, December 8, the day rebels took control of the Syrian capital, Assad claimed to have stayed in Damascus until the wee hours of the morning.
As the city was overrun by rebel troops, Assad claimed that he coordinated with Russian allies to move north to Lattakia “to oversee combat operations.” At the nearby air base of Hmeimim, “it became clear that our forces had completely withdrawn from all battle lines and that the last army positions had fallen.”
Assad said that Moscow asked for a quick evacuation to Russia that evening since there were no practical ways to leave the base, which he claimed had been subjected to increased drone strikes.
“This took place a day after the fall of Damascus,” he stated. His account could not be independently verified by NBC News.
Before then, Assad insisted, he had not thought about “stepping down or seeking refuge.”
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