09.12.2024 08:50
While armed opposition groups in Syria overthrew the 61-year-old Baath regime in just 12 days without any conflict, Bashar al-Assad's departure from the country became the number one agenda item in the world. A statement from the Kremlin indicated that Assad and his family had arrived in Moscow and were granted asylum "for humanitarian reasons." The fact that Assad, who has become a refugee, shares the same situation as millions of Syrians who fled the country due to his regime made people say, "Look at the irony of fate."
On Wednesday, November 27, armed opposition groups launched an operation against the Assad regime in Syria, overthrowing the 61-year-old Ba'ath regime in just 12 days. The opposition's move also led to Syrian President Bashar Assad fleeing the country.
STATEMENT FROM THE KREMLIN
As claims emerged that Assad's plane had disappeared from radar and might have crashed, the anticipated statement came from the Kremlin.
ASAD AND HIS FAMILY GRANTED ASYLUM
Russian state news agency TASS reported yesterday, citing a senior official from the Kremlin, that "Assad and his family have arrived in Moscow." TASS also stated that Assad and his family were granted asylum "on humanitarian grounds."
The statement put an end to speculation about the whereabouts of the former president of Syria following the opposition's takeover of control in Damascus.
LOCATIONS IN RUSSIA UNKNOWN
According to a live report from CNN International's correspondent in Russia, Russian soldiers took over the Syrian embassy in Moscow. The Syrian flag at the embassy was also lowered. The Wall Street Journal reported that Assad's wife and children went to Moscow on the third day of the operation initiated by the opposition. However, the exact location of Assad and his family in Russia remains unknown.
Previously, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced that Assad had "decided to resign from the presidency and left the country, giving instructions for a peaceful transfer of power." Russia, which has two significant military bases in Syria, has been a loyal ally of Assad and intervened in Syria's 13-year civil war to keep him in power. Early on Sunday morning, after fighters entered the city without resistance, the Islamist militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and its allies declared, "The tyrant Bashar Assad has fled."
DID THE TRANSPONDER SIGNAL GET TURNED OFF?
It was reported that Assad boarded a Syrian Airlines plane at Damascus airport early on Sunday. An Ilyushin Il-76T cargo plane belonging to Syrian Airlines took off from the airport at 03:59 local time, heading to an undisclosed destination. According to data from Flightradar24, the plane initially flew towards the stronghold of Assad's Alawite sect, which is also home to two significant Russian military bases. However, after flying over Homs, the plane made a U-turn and began flying east again while losing altitude. The plane's signal was lost approximately 13 km west of Homs. Yesterday, claims circulated that "Assad's plane might have crashed," but experts emphasized that the plane's transponder signal was intentionally turned off.
WHAT IS A TRANSPONDER SIGNAL?
A transponder signal is an electronic device found in various aircraft, designed to respond to radar inquiries and transmit essential information about the aircraft, such as its location and speed, to traffic controllers in response to radio frequencies, forming the most crucial communication system of the aircraft.