Syria’s deposed president Bashar al-Assad and his family have been given asylum in Moscow, following their departure from Syria as Islamist-led opposition forces advanced into Damascus, according to reports from Russian News agencies on Sunday evening.
“Assad and members of his family have arrived in Moscow,” a Kremlin source informed TASS and Ria Novosti news agencies. “Russia granted them asylum on humanitarian grounds,” the source quoted further stated.
Reports indicate Assad departed Syria in the early hours of Sunday.
Additionally, according to RIA, citing another anonymous Kremlin source, Syrian opposition forces have provided assurances regarding the protection of Russian military installations and diplomatic facilities in Syria, though specific details were not disclosed.
The streets of Syria are reportedly filled with celebrating citizens amid sounds of celebratory gunshots, following the rebels’ unexpected advance into the capital, bringing an end to the Assad family’s five-decade authoritarian control, according to the Associated Press.
Damascus, the Syrian capital, fell to rebel forces, marking a historic turning point in the country’s prolonged civil war. The fall of the city signaled the end of President Bashar al-Assad’s 24-year rule and introduced a new chapter for Syria, which has been ravaged by conflict for over a decade.
The rebel offensive, which culminated in the capture of Damascus, was a week-long campaign that began with a surprise takeover of northern Aleppo. This marked the beginning of a rapid collapse of Assad’s defenses. Strategic cities like Homs soon fell, severing key supply lines and isolating Damascus from Assad’s strongholds along the Alawite-dominated coastline.
Homs played a pivotal role in the takeover by the rebels as its loss cut off Damascus from the coastal regions where Assad’s Russian allies maintain critical military installations. Despite prior efforts to secure these regions, Assad’s forces were unable to stem the tide of the rebel advance.