Assad's family flees to Russia as Syrian rebels near Damascus
Iraq has taken in more than a thousand Syrian soldiers who requested permission to cross the border, Iraqi media report. Meanwhile, the family of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has left the country and fled to Russia. According to official Syrian media, the president himself remains in Damascus, which rebels are approaching.
Rebels are nearing the capital of Syria, Damascus. According to various sources, they are between four to 12 miles from the presidential palace where Bashar al-Assad is said to be staying.
Assad is reportedly in the presidential palace
The Syrian president has not left Damascus, despite rebels approaching the capital, Assad's office announced. "The president is following up on his work and national and constitutional duties from the capital, Damascus," the statement reads.
Earlier, the British newspaper "The Telegraph" reported that the family of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has left the country and is currently on the territory of the Russian Federation. The decision to flee the country was also influenced by information from Moscow that Russia does not intend to save Assad's regime. A source close to the Kremlin told Bloomberg that Moscow has no plans to save the Syrian president, "The Telegraph" adds.
They surrendered and fled to Iraq
According to a statement by the Iraqi state news agency, citing a military source, more than 1,000 soldiers of the Syrian army arrived in Iraq through a border crossing in eastern Syria.
The statement rrads that Iraq today welcomed more than a thousand Syrian army soldiers through the Al-Qaim border crossing in Anbar province. The soldiers were received, provided with necessary care, and their needs were met.
On a Russian channel on Telegram, recordings from the Al-Qaim border crossing were posted. The footage shows several T-55 tanks, as well as BMP-1, BREM-1, trucks with 122 mm D-30A howitzers, and pickups filled to the brim with infantry.
"Another sign of the growing collapse – Syrian troops have surrendered... to Iraq," comments "War Observer."
Allies were unable to help
"The Syrian army's defeats in the past week were 'not that big of a surprise,' Hochstein said, highlighting the army's limited power in comparison with events during the country's civil war 13 years ago when 'it had two powers (Iran and Russia) coming to its aid in a very strong way'," reports Reuters. Hochstein's statement was published when a forum with the participation of foreign ministers from Turkey, Iran, and Russia was taking place in Qatar's capital, Doha.
Hochstein noted that the situation in Syria presents new challenges for Hezbollah regarding arms supplies. It seems that Iran is withdrawing from Syria, added the envoy of President Joe Biden, quoted by the Reuters agency.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that it is "unacceptable" for the Syrian "terrorist group" to take control of the territory, violating the country's unity. Moscow called for an immediate end to "hostile activities" in Syria.
As part of a campaign that has been ongoing for over a week, rebels have already captured, among others, Aleppo, the second-largest city in the country, and Hama, which is home to about 500,000 people.
Syrian rebels reported on Saturday about more captured territories and stated that they are currently several miles from the outskirts of Damascus.
Besides Russia, the main ally of the regime in Damascus is Iran. Thanks to the support of Moscow and Tehran, including Hezbollah fighters funded by Iran, Assad managed to regain control over most of the country in the civil war ongoing since 2011. At least half a million people have died in the conflict. Most of the fighting ended in 2020, and the current clashes are the most serious since that time.
