Posted on 12/11/24
| News Source: i24
Russia convinced former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad that he would lose the struggle against rebel organizations in his country, and offered him and his family refuge and help in escaping, US media reports said on Wednesday.
According to reports, Russian intelligence agents organized the escape, and flew Assad via an air base in Syria before turning off the plane's transmitter to avoid tracking.
Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov commented on the reports, saying that Moscow had transferred Assad to their country "in the most secure manner."
Ryabkov was further asked if they intend to prosecute Assad for his humanitarian crimes in Syria, to which he responded that Russia is not a party to the International Criminal Court in The Hague. However, he stated that his country would indeed be willing to consider prisoner exchanges with the United States.
In addition, it was reported that the Russian President, Vladimir Putin visited his country's intelligence service, demanding to know why it did not detect and warn him over the growing threat to Assad's regime until it was too late.