“Assad, along with members of his family, has arrived in Moscow. Russia, based on humanitarian considerations, has granted them asylum,” Russian state media TASS reported citing a Kremlin source.
It remains unknown when Assad fled Syria, however, the Syrian rebels led by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) entered Damascus early Sunday morning and announced the end of over five decades of Baathist rule, after 11 days of a blistering offensive.
Syria continues to grapple with instability and insecurity, as recent escalations have displaced thousands. The country, ravaged by a civil war that began in 2011 following uprisings against the now-dethroned Assad, has seen hundreds of thousands killed and millions left in need of humanitarian assistance.
After taking over Damascus, HTS leader Abu Mohammed al-Jolani ordered his forces not to approach any official institutions in the capital and declared that these institutions will remain under the supervision of Assad’s Prime Minister Mohammed al-Jalali until their official handover.
HTS is the former Syrian branch of al-Qaeda and the prominent force among dozens of rebel factions. The group has long controlled a rebel enclave in the northwestern province of Idlib. It has been internationally recognized as a terrorist organization.
