Russia Grants Syrian President President Bashar al-Assad Assylum After Fleeing Country

Ousted Syrian President Bashar Assad has fled Syria after rebels took over the capital city of Damascus on Saturday.

As rebel fighters were closing in, Assad and his family boarded a private charter flight to Moscow, Russia.

Russia has since granted Assad and his family asylum.

BREAKING: Russian state media is reporting that Bashar al Assad is in Moscow

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❗️Syria's Bashar Assad and his family are in Moscow, Russia granted asylum to them – TASS, citing Kremlin sources pic.twitter.com/bjBGz0PiSx

— RT (@RT_com) December 8, 2024

Here’s what Fox News reported:

Syrian dictator Bashar Assad, who fled the country Saturday as rebels closed in on the capital of Damascus, has arrived in Moscow and has been granted asylum by the Russian government, according to Russian News Agency Tass.

Speculation about where Assad might land has been widespread since the longtime dictator fled the country, with allies such as Iran and Russia being at the top of the list.

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Assad was forced to flee the country after a coalition of largely radical Islamist groups led a sweeping offensive across Syria, culminating in the capture of the country’s capital city and the fall of Assad’s regime, which had seen his family rule Syria for over 50 years.

The offensive was the latest development in a bloody civil war that has ravaged Syria for almost 14 years, a war that also led to the rise of the Islamic State terrorist organization and yearslong interventions by countries such as the United States, Russia, Iran and Turkey.

BREAKING: Assad and family have arrived in Moscow, Russia has granted them asylum.

— The Spectator Index (@spectatorindex) December 8, 2024

Per AP:

Ousted Syrian leader Bashar Assad fled to Moscow and received asylum from his longtime ally, Russian media said Sunday, hours after a stunning rebel advance seized control of Damascus and ended his family’s 50 years of iron rule.

Thousands of Syrians poured into streets echoing with celebratory gunfire and waved the revolutionary flag in scenes that recalled the early days of the Arab Spring uprising, before a brutal crackdown and the rise of an insurgency plunged the country into a nearly 14-year civil war.

The swiftly moving events raised questions about the future of the country and the wider region.