Assad's former aide says deposed Syrian president was 'tricked' by Putin
Syria’s former media chief and top aide to Bashar al-Assad said that Russian President Vladimir Putin may have “tricked” the ousted Syrian president in his final days as leader.
Speaking to Mazeej Studios, a podcast produced by Saudi channel Al Arabiya, Kamel Saqr said that Assad was in Moscow in late November, just over a week before Syrian rebels captured Damascus.
According to him, the rebels had already captured much of Aleppo by the time Assad met Putin on Friday 29 November.
There, Saqr said Assad asked for Putin’s support in helping Iran transport equipment and support to strengthen his government’s positions against the opposition.
“Bashar al-Assad’s request to Putin was for him to personally handle the secure aerial transportation necessary to deliver military aid to support or stop the advance of the Syrian opposition,” Saqr said.
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The request came as Iran reduced its forces and militias’ presence in Syria, and Hezbollah suffered heavy blows in its battles against Israel in Lebanon.
Saqr believes neither Russia nor Iran wanted to heavily intervene in this battle, but Assad told him that Putin had instructed his chief of staff to get ready to support any transport needed for Iran at Russia’s Hmeimim base in Latakia.
“But what happened was that the Iranians told Bashar al-Assad, ‘we did not receive any signals to proceed with moving Iranian aircraft to the Hmeimim base [or to] fly through Iraqi airspace to land at the base,’” Saqr told Mazeej.
“The question was relayed to Moscow, but no answer came.”
When asked whether this was a “trick by Putin”, Saqr said there was “no other explanation”.
Saqr said the Iranians told Assad they sent a plane regardless through Iraq, but were warned by the US that the aircraft would be shot down if it continued.
Assad’s escape
Assad returned to Damascus a week before his eventual fall, according to Saqr.
The former aide said that Turkey, which supported the rebel offensive, informed Iran that the time for mediation was over.
In recent years Assad repeatedly refused to meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Saqr said Assad viewed a meeting as a ploy for political concessions, despite pleas from Russia and Iran.
Saqr says Putin did not pick up any of Assad’s calls between the Tuesday and Thursday before his fall and that, despite having planned a 400-word speech addressing the situation, the former Syrian president decided against speaking to the public.
As rebel forces were nearing Damascus, Assad spoke to his media office for the last time on Saturday 7 December about a military meeting at the Hmeimim base between him and the Russians.
Saqr says he believes Assad left “from Damascus airport via a private plane, taking the southern bypass road and then the airport road to reach the airport”.
“My information suggests that he stayed at the base for several hours until the plane was secured, prepared, and its takeoff and flight to Moscow were ensured,” he added.
Russia and Iran were Assad’s key backers during the 13-year Syrian civil war.
Assad is now said to have received asylum in Moscow.
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