In his first reaction after he was overthrown by insurgent groups, Syrian President Bashar Assad said that he had no plans to leave the country after the fall of Damascus a week ago. He was evacuated by the Russian military after their base in western Syria came under attack.
In a statement on the social media platform Facebook, ousted President Assad said that he left Damascus on the morning of Dec. 8, hours after insurgents stormed the capital city. He also stated that he left in coordination with Russian allies to the Russian base in the coastal province of Latakia, where he planned to keep fighting.
Assad said that after the Russian base came under attack by drones, the Russians decided to move him on the night of Dec. 8 to Russia. “I did not leave the country as part of a plan as it was reported earlier,” Assad said, as quoted by news agency AP.
Meanwhile on Monday, a U.K.-based war monitor said Israeli airstrikes hit missile warehouses in Syria in the early hours and termed it the “most violent strikes” since 2012. Following the dramatic fall of Assad’s regime, Israel has been pounding what it says are military sites in Syria and wiping out air defenses and most of the arsenal of the former Syrian army.
According to a Financial Times report, Assad’s regime airlifted around $250 million (Rs 2,082 crore) in cash to Moscow. The transactions took place in a two-year period—2018 and 2019—and included nearly two tonnes of $100 bills and currency notes of 500 euros, the outlet further said.
The FT report revealed that these banknotes were flown to Vnukovo airport in Russia’s capital city, Moscow, and deposited in sanctioned banks of the country. The report further stated that Assad’s relatives were secretly purchasing assets in Russia during the same period.
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