Bashar al-Assad Refutes Claims of Planned Exit amid Fall of Damascus

In a statement issued on December 16, 2024, Assad addressed speculations surrounding his departure from Syria, rejecting reports that he had fled during the final stages of the conflict.

“My departure from Syria was neither planned nor did it occur during the final hours of the battles, as some have claimed,” Assad said.

He explained that he carried out his duties in Damascus until the early hours of Sunday, December 8, when terrorist forces infiltrated the capital.

Assad noted that he then relocated to Latakia in coordination with Russian allies to oversee combat operations.

Upon arriving at the Hmeimim airbase, he said it became clear that Syrian forces had withdrawn entirely from all battle positions.

With the battlefield situation worsening and the Russian base under intensified drone strikes, Moscow ordered an immediate evacuation to Russia on the evening of December 8.

“This took place a day after the fall of Damascus, following the collapse of the final military positions and the resulting paralysis of all remaining state institutions,” Assad stated.

He dismissed any suggestion that he considered stepping down or seeking refuge.

“At no point during these events did I consider stepping down or seeking refuge... The only course of action was to continue fighting against the terrorist onslaught,” he said. 

Assad emphasized his commitment to Syria throughout the conflict, saying he refused to compromise the nation for personal gain.

“The person who, from the very first day of the war, refused to barter the salvation of his nation... is the same person who stood alongside the officers and soldiers of the army on the front lines,” he declared.

He added that he had never abandoned Palestinian and Lebanese resistance, nor betrayed his allies.

Assad described himself as a “custodian of a national project,” guided by the Syrian people’s faith in his leadership.
He reiterated his unwavering connection to Syria, saying, “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.”

Ending on a note of hope, Assad expressed his belief that Syria would “once again be free and independent.”