Assad issues 1st statement since fall from power, denies intending to flee

"My departure from Syria was neither planned nor did it occur during the final hours of the battles, as some have claimed," former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad said in a statement released on Telegram Monday.

"On the contrary, I remained in Damascus, carrying out my duties until the early hours of Sunday, December 8, 2024," he said. "As terrorist forces infiltrated Damascus, I moved to Lattakia in coordination with our Russian allies to oversee combat operations. Upon arrival at the Hmeimim airbase that morning, it became clear that our forces had completely withdrawn from all battle lines and that the last army positions had fallen."

Assad said that "a flood of misinformation and narratives far removed from the truth, aimed at recasting international terrorism as a liberation revolution for Syria," had distorted the narrative about his ouster."

He described the situation as deteriorating, with Russia's base coming under attack by drones, forcing Moscow to immediately evacuate. This was after the fall of Damsacus, "following the collapse of the final military positions and the resulting paralysis of all remaining state institutions."

Assad asserted that "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. The only course of action was to continue fighting against the terrorist onslaught.

He said that he "refused to barter the salvation of his nation for personal gain, or to compromise his people in exchange for numerous offers and enticements," claiming that he "stood alongside the officers and soldiers of the army on the front lines, just meters from terrorists in the most dangerous and intense battlefields."

Assad said he and his family remained alongside Syrians to confront terrorism over the course of 14 years of civil war."

He boasted that he "never abandoned the resistance in Palestine and Lebanon, nor betrayed his allies who stood by him, cannot possibly be the same person who would forsake his own people or betray the army and nation to which he belongs.

"I have never sought positions for personal gain but have always considered myself as a custodian of a national project, supported by the faith of the Syrian people, who believed in its vision. I have carried an unwavering conviction in their will and ability to protect the state, defend its institutions, and uphold their choices to the very last moment."

In conclusion, he stated: "When the state falls into the hands of terrorism and the ability to make a meaningful contribution is lost, any position becomes void of purpose, rendering its occupation meaningless. This does not, in any way, diminish my profound sense of belonging to Syria and her people - a bond that remains unshaken by any position or circumstance. It is a belonging filled with hope that Syria will once again be free and independent."