Mystery over ‘shot down’ plane disappears over Syria as Assad and his family flee country – with Russia denying claims dictator was KILLED in crash
Mystery surrounds a plane that disappeared from a flight tracker while over Syria – sparking theories that it was carrying President Assad and could have crashed or even been shot down.
Flight tracking website Flightradar 24 showed a plane believed to be carrying Bashar al-Assad leaving the Syrian capital Damascus in the early hours of Sunday morning and heading for the Mediterranean before making a U-turn and disappearing from the map disappeared.
Reuters was quick to report that “there was a very good chance that Assad was killed in a plane crash as it was a mystery why the plane made a surprise U-turn and disappeared,” citing two anonymous Syrian sources.
But Russia has now called for the story to be retracted, amid reports that the Syrian dictator had landed in Moscow and been granted asylum in the wake of his regime’s humiliating collapse.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova accused Reuters of spreading “fake news” following the story linking Assad to the alleged crash.
“I wonder if Reuters, which reported Assad’s ‘very likely’ death, will refute itself?” she asked.
In an earlier statement, Russia’s Foreign Ministry said Assad had resigned as president and left Syria, but it gave no details on where he had moved.
It was later reported that Assad and his family had arrived in Russia after being granted asylum in Moscow, the country’s state media claimed, citing a Kremlin source.
Al-Assad and his family have arrived in Russia and been granted asylum in Moscow, Russian state media claim, citing a Kremlin source (file image of al-Assad, his wife Asma al-Assad (C) walking with their children, Hafez (2nd-R), Karim (R) and Zein (L) in 2022)
Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) shakes hands with his Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad during their meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow on July 24, 2024
The Interfax news agency quoted the unnamed source as saying: “President Assad of Syria has arrived in Moscow. Russia has granted them (him and his family) asylum on humanitarian grounds.”
Asked whether Assad had been confirmed to be in the Russian capital, a Western official said they believed this was likely the case and had no reason to doubt Moscow’s claim.
He reportedly left his homeland early on Sunday, and Syrians poured into the streets to the echo of celebratory gunfire after a stunning rebel advance reached the capital, ending the al-Assad family’s half-century of iron rule.
“Maybe he thought he knew this was coming, so he tried to pack himself and leave everyone else behind,” Colonel Philip Ingram, a former British Army intelligence officer, told MailOnline about the rumors of the move. al-Assad to Russia.
Assad’s asylum request, his longtime ally and protector, comes as Syrian opposition leaders guaranteed the security of Russian military bases and diplomatic missions in Syria, Russian news agencies reported on Sunday, citing a Kremlin source.
State news agency TASS said: “Russian officials are in contact with representatives of the armed Syrian opposition, whose leaders have guaranteed the security of Russian military bases and diplomatic institutions on the territory of Syria.”
Russia, Assad’s biggest backer along with Iran, has a naval base in Tartus and a military airport in Khmeimim.
Moscow’s forces became militarily involved in the Syrian conflict in 2015, providing support to Assad’s forces to crush the opposition in the bloody civil war.
Flightradar24 showed a plane heading from the Syrian capital Damascus towards the Mediterranean Sea early on Sunday morning.
The plane then appears to make a U-turn before disappearing from the map
People kick a poster depicting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad after Syrian army leadership informed officers that al-Assad’s 24-year rule has ended
Residents of Hama set fire to a large banner depicting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad hanging from the facade of a municipal building
People celebrate in Umayyad Square in Damascus on December 8, 2024, as rebel soldiers declare they have captured the capital
Russia has always been in favor of a political solution to the Syrian crisis. Our starting point is the need to resume negotiations under the auspices of the UN,” the Kremlin source added.
A Russian representative to the United Nations announced that Moscow had requested an emergency closed-door meeting of the UN Security Council on the situation in Syria on Monday afternoon.
“The consequences (of the events in Syria) for this country and the entire region have not yet been measured,” the official said on Telegram.
Joyful crowds gathered in squares across Damascus, waving the Syrian revolutionary flag in scenes reminiscent of the early days of the Arab Spring uprising, before a brutal crackdown and the rise of an uprising plunged the country into a nearly fourteen-year civil war poured.
Others gleefully looted the presidential palace and residence after Assad and other top officials disappeared.
Syrian state television broadcast a rebel statement early Sunday saying Assad had been overthrown and all prisoners had been released.
They called on people to preserve the institutions of “the free Syrian state.” The rebels later announced a curfew in Damascus from 4:00 PM to 5:00 AM.
The rebels said they had released people held in the notorious Saydnaya prison, where rights groups say thousands were tortured and killed.
A video circulating online allegedly showed rebels breaking open cell doors and freeing dozens of female prisoners, many of whom appeared shocked. At least one small child was seen among them.
“This happiness will not be complete until I can see my son from prison and know where he is,” said a relative, Bassam Masr. ‘I’ve been looking for him for two hours. He has been in prison for thirteen years.’
Rebel commander Anas Salkhadi later appeared on state television and tried to reassure Syria’s religious and ethnic minorities, saying: “Syria is for everyone, no exceptions.” Syria is for Druze, Sunnis, Alawites and all sects.’
“We will not deal with people as the al-Assad family did,” he added.