In his first response after he was overthrown by rebel teams, Syrian President Bashar Assad stated that he had no plans to go away the nation after the autumn of Damascus per week in the past. He was evacuated by the Russian army after their base in western Syria got here beneath assault.
In an announcement on the social media platform Fb, ousted President Assad stated that he left Damascus on the morning of Dec. 8, hours after insurgents stormed the capital metropolis. He additionally said that he left in coordination with Russian allies to the Russian base within the coastal province of Latakia, the place he deliberate to maintain preventing.
Assad stated that after the Russian base got here beneath assault by drones, the Russians determined to maneuver him on the night time of Dec. Eight to Russia. “I didn’t go away the nation as a part of a plan because it was reported earlier,” Assad stated, as quoted by information company AP.
In the meantime on Monday, a U.Ok.-based conflict monitor stated Israeli airstrikes hit missile warehouses in Syria within the early hours and termed it the “most violent strikes” since 2012. Following the dramatic fall of Assad’s regime, Israel has been pounding what it says are army websites in Syria and wiping out air defenses and a lot of the arsenal of the previous Syrian military.
In response to a Monetary Instances report, Assad’s regime airlifted round $250 million (Rs 2,082 crore) in money to Moscow. The transactions befell in a two-year interval—2018 and 2019—and included practically two tonnes of $100 payments and forex notes of 500 euros, the outlet additional stated.
The FT report revealed that these banknotes had been flown to Vnukovo airport in Russia’s capital metropolis, Moscow, and deposited in sanctioned banks of the nation. The report additional said that Assad’s kin had been secretly buying property in Russia throughout the identical interval.
(With AP Inputs)
