Signs of life from Assad: “Syria will be free again”

Published 16 December 2024 at 14.14

Foreign. Former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has released a public statement for the first time since he was overthrown by jihadists in early December.

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In a long message published on Telegram, Assad states that his escape to Russia – where he and his family have been granted asylum – was not planned.

“It is a longing filled with hope that Syria will be free and independent again,” he writes, noting that the country is now controlled by “terrorists”.

Assad describes how he left Damascus after that rebels were approaching the capital and Russian forces decided to evacuate him. According to the dictator, he went to Latakia in consultation with Moscow before being evacuated after a Russian airbase was attacked by drones.

Despite his fall, Assad writes that he still feels a strong connection to the Syrian people:

“It in no way diminishes my strong sense of belonging to Syria and its people – a bond that remains unbroken,” he writes.

The situation in Syria remains chaotic after the overthrow of Assad. Local groups have begun to rebel against HTS (formerly al-Qaeda) and accuse them of abuses, and tensions are running high between the various minority groups, which were able to live in relative harmony under Assad's secular rule.