After days of silence following his flight from Syria in the face of the rebel advance, former Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad's Telegram channel posted a statement today (Monday) purporting to be from him and which explains his actions during the losing fight against the rebel advance.
The statement, posted by journalist Barzan Sadiq on X, said that Assad had not planned to leave the capital and indeed stayed in Damascus until the early hours of December 8.
Assad claims that although he then relocated to the Hmeimim base to continue doing his job, the advance of the rebel forces led Moscow to order an evacuation of the base - including Assad.
The Syrian dictator claims that resigning or seeking asylum in another country was never discussed before his flight, only the fight against what he called "terrorist" forces.
As noted, this document's authenticity has not yet been fully confirmed despite being posted on the Syrian President's Telegram channel.
Here is the full, translated statement:
