Ousted former Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad fled the country on Sunday and took asylum in Russia, according to Kremlin officials cited by international media.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has supported the Assad regime for 10 years as an extension of Soviet-era support. But when the Syrian rebels began advancing after Hezbollah was annihilated by Israel in the Lebanon War, troops were tied up in Ukraine and unable to help defend the regime.
BBC reported: “Russian state media reported, citing Kremlin officials, that deposed Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his family have arrived in Moscow.''Furthermore, Russian intelligence sources say President Bashar al-Assad has been granted asylum. It added that the BBC had been unable to confirm those reports.
Russia has supported Syria since President Barack Obama's diplomatic efforts to remove chemical weapons from Syria failed, leading to President Putin restoring the Kremlin's foothold in the Middle East. Currently, the Russian Navy is stationed in Latakia, a city on the Syrian coast of the Mediterranean Sea.
Despite regime support from Russia and Iran, Syrian rebels appeared to have advanced with little resistance over the past two weeks until arriving in Damascus early Sunday.
There were reports that President Assad's evacuation flight may have crashed, but it now appears that they are writing about a different flight.
Joel B. Pollack is a senior editor at Breitbart News. Breitbart News Sunday Sunday nights from 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM ET (4:00 PM to 7:00 PM PT) on Sirius XM Patriot. he is the author of Agenda: What should President Trump do in his first 100 days in office?available for pre-order on Amazon. He is also the author of Trumpian Virtues: Lessons and Legacy of the Donald Trump Presidencynow available on Audible. He is the recipient of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter @joelpolak.
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