JERUSALEM (Alliance News): An Israeli newspaper has reported that Russian intelligence orchestrated the emergency flight of ousted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad from Damascus to Moscow as rebel forces advanced towards the Syrian capital.
The report suggests that the former president, facing imminent defeat, was advised by Russian officials that the war was lost and that he should flee Syria immediately.
Bashar al-Assad, accompanied by his wife and children, was reportedly instructed to depart without informing his closest associates.
According to the report, al-Assad’s plane lost contact with the control tower during the flight, sparking fears that the aircraft had crashed.
However, Russian officials later confirmed that al-Assad had safely arrived in Moscow and had been granted political asylum.
Bloomberg also cited sources claiming that Russian President Vladimir Putin personally authorized the operation to safely evacuate al-Assad.
Russian intelligence arranged the logistics for the departure, and al-Assad flew from Damascus to the Russian air base in Syria aboard his private jet.
To avoid detection, the plane’s transponder was turned off during the flight, ensuring its location remained undetected.
Once in Syria, al-Assad reportedly boarded a Russian military aircraft at the Khmeimim Air Base to make the journey to Moscow.
The claim marks a dramatic shift in Syria’s ongoing civil conflict, which has seen Russia play a key role in supporting the Assad regime
