Deposed Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is in Moscow and has received asylum in Russia, a Kremlin source told TASS.
“Bashar al-Assad and his family members arrived in Moscow on humanitarian grounds and were granted asylum,” the agency’s source said.
Russia considers it necessary to resume negotiations to resolve the situation in Syria under the auspices of the UN. The Russian Foreign Ministry had earlier confirmed that Assad had left Syria, without disclosing the destination.
Syria’s ousted president left Damascus airport before HTS forces entered the capital, followed by members of his security.
At the same time, Russia announced that it requested an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council on Monday (09/12/2024) regarding the situation in Syria, where a lightning attack by rebel groups under the command of radical Islamists overthrew the regime of Bashar al-Assad.
“In connection with the latest events in Syria, the depth and consequences of which for this country and the entire region have yet to be measured, Russia has requested urgent consultations behind closed doors of the UN Security Council,” he wrote in a post on Telegram Deputy Ambassador of Russia to the United Nations Dmitry Polyansky. This meeting is expected to be held on Monday, he clarified.
Ukraine: Dictators who support Putin will always fall
In the meantime, Ukraine welcomed today (08/12/2024) the fall of Bashar al-Assad in Syria, saying that the dictators who counted on Russian President Vladimir Putin are doomed to the same end, while expressing its support for the “Syrian people”. as Foreign Minister Andrii Sibiha stated on Platform X.
“Assad has fallen. This has been and will always be the case with dictators who bet on (Russian President Vladimir) Putin. He always betrays those who count on him,” said the head of Ukrainian diplomacy, adding that Kiev wishes to “pave the way for the restoration of relations (with Syria) in the future.”
Over 900 dead in Syria
More than 900 people, including 138 civilians, have been killed since the rebel offensive in Syria began on November 27, which ousted President Bashar al-Assad after 13 years of civil war, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
“After the fighting to overthrow Assad, 910 people were killed: 392 rebels, 380 members of the forces of the ousted president Assad and his allies and 138 civilians,” the non-governmental organization, which is based in Britain but has a large network, emphasizes sources in Syria.
Italy: “The developments in Syria are a political defeat for Russia
In his statements on Rai television, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani referred to the developments of the last few hours in Syria.
“This morning, militants entered the garden of the Italian ambassador’s residence. They left after a while and took only two cars with them. More than fifteen Italians managed to cross the border with Lebanon and yesterday another two crossed the border with Jordan. At this stage, those in their homes in Damascus are not at risk,” Tajani said.
Referring to the general context in which the developments in Syria are included, the head of Italian diplomacy added: “The transfer of power took place without much violence, except for the battles of the past days. The acceleration of developments is due to Hezbollah losing the battle in Lebanon, severely weakened and unable to defend Assad anymore.
Russia itself was unable to defend him because of the war in Ukraine. This is a political defeat for Russia, which risks losing access to the Mediterranean. It is in our interest to achieve stability, because the calmer the situation in the Mediterranean region, the more we can strengthen our exports.
As a country, after all, we work for peace, by participating in military missions. I had a detailed telephone conversation with the Turkish foreign minister and asked him to intervene to guarantee the safety of our embassy, the minorities and especially the Christians.
He told me that he considers the Italian presence in Damascus important with the embassy of our country which, in this new phase, remains open. The Turks see our presence positively and they are the ones who supported the forces that opposed Assad the most.”