The former president of Syria, Bashar al-Assad, stated that he did not plan to leave the country in advance.
"I did not plan to leave my homeland, as they try to present, and I did not leave it in the last hours of the fighting. Until the morning of December 8, I remained in Damascus, fulfilling my duties. "During those events, neither I nor anyone raised the issue of asylum or resignation," he said, RIA Novosti reports.
The former president emphasized that the only choice in those days was to "continue the fight to defend himself in case of a terrorist attack." According to the politician, he left the capital only after the armed opposition forces entered the city. The head of state left for Latakia, from where he planned to follow the military operations. However, upon arriving at the Russian Khmeimim airbase, he learned about the fall of Damascus.
"Moscow demanded from the command of the base to organize my immediate evacuation to Russia on the evening of December 8. This happened one day after the fall of Damascus," Assad said.
