TYRANT Assad’s desperate final plea to Putin and his nerve-racking wait to be smuggled into Russia have been revealed.
The cowardly dictator escaped Syria just hours before rebels captured his palace in their lightning blitz that ousted his regime.
ReutersRussian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in July 2024[/caption]
AFPA fire burning in a room of the Tishrin residential palace of Syria’s ousted president in December[/caption]
APMembers of the new armed forces – former rebels who overthrew Bashar Assad’s government and now serve in the new Syrian government[/caption]
Syria‘s former media chief Kamel Saqr has shared bombshell intel on Assad’s final hours before his spineless escape to pal Putin’s Russia.
Saqr described the route which he believes the fallen tyrant took to escape as opposition forces stormed towards the capital Damascus.
Speaking on a Mazeej Studios podcast produced by Al Arabiya, Saqr revealed: “I imagine it was from Damascus Airport via a private plane, taking the southern bypass road and then the airport road to reach the airport.”
The first route the fallen dictator made was from Damascus International Airport to the Russian-operated Khmeimim Air Base.
Saqr said that Assad could have been waiting several nail-biting hours for his flight to Moscow to be secured – the second part of his desperate exit plan.
He explained: “My information suggests that he stayed at the base for several hours until the plane was secured, prepared, and its takeoff and flight to Moscow were ensured.”
The Russian military attache had met with Assad within the final two hours he had left in Syria before he fled, securing his departure, the former media chief claimed.
Saqr also believes that others accompanied the ousted president in his cowardly flee, including the Minister of Presidential Affairs, the Minister of Defence and the tyrant’s Chief of Staff.
Upon being asked whether Assad’s son was with him, Saqr revealed that both of his sons Hafez and Karim “for sure” were with him when he fled.
He added: “Karim returned with us on the same plane we took from Moscow a week prior.
CorbisRussia’s Mil Mi-24 combat helicopters at the Khmeimim Air Base[/caption]
Rebel fighters seen raiding Assad’s palace after the tyrant fled to Russia
Syria’s former media chief Kamel Saqr revealed Assad’s final hours
“As for Hafez, I don’t know when he arrived, perhaps he came two days later.”
Assad’s top-secret conversations with Putin before his regime was toppled have also been revealed by Saqr.
Just over a week before rebels took control of Syria’s main cities and forced out the tyrant, Assad was in Moscow where he planned to meet pal Putin.
Saqr said that Assad, during talks, asked for Russia‘s assistance in helping Iran transport equipment, while also requesting to strengthen the regime’s defences against the opposition.
The ex-media chief said: “Bashar al-Assad’s request to Putin was for him to personally handle the secure aerial transportation necessary to deliver military aid to support or stop the advance of the Syrian opposition.”
Assad allegedly revealed to Saqr that the Russian leader had “immediately contacted his chief of staff and requested that preparations be made for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to transport anything needed through the Khmeimim base”.
But Iran told the fallen tyrant later on that they hadn’t received any confirmation or “signals to proceed with moving Iranian aircraft to the Khmeimim base [or to] fly through Iraqi airspace to land at the base.”
Despite Moscow being quizzed following Iran’s response, “no answer came”.
Saqr implied that it was a devious trick done by Putin, adding that there’s “no other explanation”.
He also said there was a sign during Assad and Vlad’s meeting that had strong indications “something was off”.
Saqr explained that “usually during such meetings, a joint press statement is issued,” but no statement followed this meeting – despite details being “leaked” and reports circulating on Russian Telegram channels.
The former media chief had even prepared a press statement and sent it to Russia while he waited for instructions on how to proceed – leaving them waiting for “an hour, then another hour”.
The Assad Dynasty
THE Assad dynasty in Syria began with Hafez al-Assad – who seized power in 1971 through a military coup and established an authoritarian regime.
His rule focused on centralised government control, military strength, suppression of dissent, aligning Syria closely with the Soviet Union, and an anti-Israel stance.
He established a cult of personality and corruption flourished as loyalty to Hafez became the most important value.
Bashar was not the first choice to succeed his father, with his elder son Bassel groomed to take over the role.
Bashar was working as an ophthalmologist at Western Eye Hospital in London when Bassel died in a car crash in 1994.
Suddenly, Bashar became the heir apparent and was called back to Damascus to be groomed for leadership.
He spent six and a half years learning the ropes from his father and working in the military.
Hafez died from a heart attack in 2000 and, with the loyalty of his party, transferred power to Bashar establishing the first Arab dynastic republic.
Initially, there were hopes for liberal reforms under Bashar, but hopes faded as he instead continued his father’s repressive policies.
When protesters rose up in 2011, Assad brutally sought to crush them with harsh violence.
But, he lost the support of many of his people and brought about the Syrian Civil War.
In 2013, the cruel dictator even used chemical weapons on rebel areas as he did anything to stay in power.
The civil war dragged on killing hundreds of thousands, destroying cities, and opening the way for ISIS to flourish.
Eventually, Assad gained the upper hand after Iran sent in Hezbollah crack forces and Russia sent in jets to bomb rebels and mercenary group Wagner to fight them.
It appeared that Assad was on the brink of winning the war earlier this year with the rebels confined to an area in the northwest of the country.
Assad chose not to negotiate with the rebels and instead sought to defeat them completely.
But the rebels launched a surprise offensive on November 27 and swept aside Assad’s corrupt and disloyal army.
After seizing Damascus in a swift and decisive offensive, rebel forces declared victory and announced that the city was “free of Assad.”
The dictator fled Syria in total humiliation – having to issue a statement through the Russians he had resigned the presidency and left the country.
Bashar has now been given refuge in Moscow and is currently under Russian protection.
The collapse of the 54-year-old Assad dynasty ignited celebrations across Syria.
In the capital, thousands poured into the streets, waving rebel flags and lighting flares.
Statues of Assad and his late father, Hafez, were toppled in symbolic acts of defiance.
But the morning of the next day, Assad told Saqr that “the Russian president had sent someone to his residence” to tell him that Putin “preferred not to announce the visit”.
“That was the end of the matter,” Saqr added.
Iran and Russia were Assad’s main allies during the Syrian conflict that began in 2011 when protesters rose up and the tyrant brutally sought to crush them with harsh violence.
APA Syrian opposition fighter sits inside an office at the Presidential Palace after the Syrian government collapsed in Damascus[/caption]
AFPRussia’s President Vladimir Putin talks on the phone[/caption] Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
