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(by Ed Holt and Olivia Christie, Daily Mail) – Kremlin sources have revealed the tricks Russia reportedly used to smuggle [authoritarian] President Bashar al-Assad out of Syria as his regime suddenly collapsed.
It comes as one of Vladimir Putin’s allies confirmed for the first time today that Russia did indeed help the ousted dictator flee to Moscow.
Three sources told Bloomberg News that Moscow organized for Assad to escape via its air base on the Syrian coast, using a ‘transponder trick’.
He was reportedly ordered to tell no-one, switch his transponder off and get on his private plane in the capital Damascus.
The aircraft then travelled to Russia’s Khmeimim air base on the Syrian coast, before Assad headed to Moscow, possibly on a military plane, the sources have claimed.
It is understood Putin personally approved Assad’s rescue but has no intention of meeting him now he is in exile.
Agents working for the Russian government convinced Assad to leave the country immediately after it became clear he would lose a fight with the rebels, the Kremlin sources said.
It comes after flight-tracking website Flightradar24 showed a plane believed to be carrying Assad as he left the Syrian capital Damascus in the early hours of Sunday morning.
The plane headed towards the Mediterranean Sea, before making a U-turn and disappearing from the map.
Sergei Ryabkov, Russia’s deputy foreign minister, claimed today that Assad was transported out of Syria “in the most secure way possible'”over the weekend.
Speaking to NBC News, Mr Ryabkov said: “He [Assad] is secured, and it shows that Russia acts as required in such an extraordinary situation.” …..
Vladimir Putin was Assad’s key ally during Syria’s long civil war with the Kremlin helping him maintain his family’s brutal dynasty which had governed Syria for over 50 years. [Assad ruled Syria since 2000 and his father from 1971 until his death in 2000.]
Putin has also built up a massive military presence in Syria with an air base in Latakia and a naval facility in Tartus – which is Russia’s only Mediterranean naval hub – and an estimated 7,000 military personal on the ground as recently as this summer. …
Dmitry Peskov, Putin’s press secretary, told the international press on Wednesday that Russia was in contact with the rebels [regarding] its military bases.
He said: “We, of course, maintain contacts with those who are currently controlling the situation in Syria,” Peskov said in a conference call with reporters.
“This is necessary because our bases are located there, our diplomatic mission is located there and, of course, the issue related to ensuring the security of these facilities is extremely important and of primary significance.”
… Meanwhile, in Syria its citizen look to rebuild their nation after 13 years of war and – for the first time in six decades – they look to a future without the Assad family’s autocratic rule.
Away from the thousands of Syrians taking to the street to celebrate, the true horrors of the Assad regime are only just being uncovered.
Many have travelled into the infamous Sednaya Prison near Damascus, nicknamed the “Human Slaughterhouse” in hopes of finding long-lost family members.
The prison was the epicentre of this systematic terror where huge numbers of detainees were subjected to … inhumane treatment and executed.
Dark footage and images published this week showed how horrified rescuers pulled out dozens upon dozens of body bags [of those who had died in prison] from the depths of the facility.
But there are dozens more facilities across the nation where victims of the Assad regime were left to suffer and die.
Now, as survivors of these [horrific] jails emerge to reunite with their families and give chilling testimonies about life behind bars, those deemed responsible for orchestrating the horrors may soon face their comeuppance.
The leader of Syria’s rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) that played a leading role in the lightning offensive that ousted Assad has vowed to hunt down officials, security forces and army officers who “tortured” the Syrian people.
Ahmed al-Sharaa, better known as Abu Mohammed al-Golani, has vowed to rebuild Syria and HTS has spent years trying to soften its image to reassure foreign nations and minority groups.
But he openly declared he would hold accountable those found to have been involved in ‘war crimes’ against Syrians.
[Videos emerged Thursday of the rebel group executing Syrian soldiers on the streets and some in their hospital beds – as well as a young man said to be a college student, members of the minority Alawite community, and a young man said to be Assad’s cousin.]Published at the UK’s Daily Mail on Dec. 11, 2024. Reprinted here for educational purposes only. May not be reproduced on other websites without permission.
Questions
1. Wikipedia notes: Russia enjoys a historically strong, stable, and friendly relationship with Syria, as it did with most countries within the Arab World up until the Arab Spring. Russia’s only Mediterranean naval base for its Black Sea Fleet is located in the Syrian port city of Tartus. How did Russian government agents convince Assad to leave Syria?
2. How did Vladimir Putin help Bashar Assad and his family escape Syria?
3. What is surprising about Putin’s next step with Assad?
4. For how long has the Assad family ruled Syria?
5. Read the “Background” and check out the links under “Resources.” When the Assad government fell and the rebels took over, Israel began bombing/destroying all of the military installations and weaponry (much of it provided to Assad by Iran) as a way to prevent terrorists from using this military equipment against Israel. They have pretty much wiped out the Syrian rebels’ ability to attack Israel or other countries.
a) What is your reaction to this preemptive move by Israel to protect its citizens?
b) Ask a parent the same question.
Background
More from the Daily Mail article:
Following the humiliating capitulation of his dictatorship over the weekend, Assad and his family will now start a new life in Russia.
They are likely to draw on their family connections and extensive assets in Moscow in the hope of keeping up their comfortable lifestyle in exile.
The Syrian dictator’s extended family bought up at least 20 Moscow apartments worth more than £30 million in recent years, illustrating Russia’s status as a safe haven for the clan.
This included the purchase of at least 18 luxury apartments in the City of Capitals complex, located in Moscow’s glittering skyscraper district.
The two-towered skyscraper – which until the unveiling of London’s Shard in 2012 was Europe’s tallest building – is home to some of Russia’s wealthiest businessmen, government ministries, five-star hotels and multinational companies.
Who are the rebels who have ousted autocrat Bashar Assad from Syria? Read from “Hayat Tahrir al Sham’s terror network in Syria”
On December 8, 2024, rebel forces deposed the regime of Syria’s longtime dictator, Bashar al Assad, after the insurgents stormed through much of the country, retaking various regional capitals and culminating in the capture of Damascus itself.
The majority of this offensive was led by Hayat Tahrir al Sham (HTS), one of Syria’s largest rebel groups that has effectively governed much of the country’s Idlib Province for several years. Though HTS claims it is no longer affiliated with Al Qaeda, it remains a jihadist organization that began life as Al Qaeda’s local branch.
As of the time of publishing, HTS remains listed by the US government as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, and its leader, Abu Muhammad al Jolani, is a Specially Designated Global Terrorist due to their history as part of Al Qaeda.
Despite these designations, a debate allegedly exists within the Biden administration around removing HTS from the list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations after the group led the offensive that toppled Assad. Officially, however, this purported consideration has been denied.
The alleged rationale of those favoring delisting Hayat Tahrir al Sham is that the group has become “moderate” and has disassociated itself from Al Qaeda and foreign terror groups. In addition, since HTS remains the strongest group in Syria, many within its leadership, including Jolani, will likely find themselves within the new Syrian government. (Read the entire article at fdd.org)
From the same Daily Mail article:
- The Assad regime’s detention centers in Syria represented one of the [worst systems of human rights abuses] in modern history.
- The prison system under Assad was not merely [punishment for crimes]; it was a calculated mechanism to crush dissent and terrorize populations.
- No one was safe from Assad’s maniacal security forces.
- Rebel fighters were cast into jails along with intellectuals, activists and regular civilians – all were subjected to heinous treatment, in many cases for several decades.
- The Syrian Network for Human Rights claims that since the beginning of the Syrian revolution in March 2011, over 157,000 people remain under arrest or have been forcibly disappeared – including 5,274 children and 10,221 women.
- More than 15,000 are said to have died under torture in that time.
Resources
Read a 2016 report “Syria the story of the conflict“
Daily “Answers” emails are provided for Daily News Articles, Tuesday’s World Events and Friday’s News Quiz.
