Assad suspected of fleeing to Russia as plane from Syria disappears off radar

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2024/12/08/assad-suspected-fleeing-russia-flight-disappears-off-radar/

32 comments

  1. ***The Telegraph reports:***

    Bashar al-Assad has reportedly fled Syria seeking refuge in Russia.

    One plane took off towards a Russian base in Syria at midnight, with US officials saying they believed the Syrian president was heading for Moscow.

    However, another private jet was heading to the UAE on Sunday morning, with no official confirmation of Assad’s whereabouts.

    Reuters reported that a Syrian Air plane took off from Damascus airport around the time the capital was reported to have been taken by rebels.

    Data from the Flightradar website initially flew towards Syria’s coastal region, a stronghold of Assad’s Alawite sect, but then made an abrupt U-turn and flew in the opposite direction for a few minutes before disappearing off the map.

    The Telegraph could not immediately ascertain who was on board.

    Two Syrian sources told Reuters there was a very high probability that Assad may have been killed in a plane crash as it was a mystery why the plane took a surprise U turn and disappeared off the map according to data from the Flightradar website.

    “It disappeared off the radar, possibly the transponder was switched off, but I believe the bigger probability is that the aircraft was taken down…,” said one Syrian source without elaborating.

    Flight tracking data also showed a private jet leaving the Latakia region of Syria on Sunday morning, where Russia has an airbase, this morning and heading to Abu Dhabi.

    # ‘Unusual route’

    Ronen Solomon, an Israeli intelligence analyst, said the C5-SKY plane was flying on an “unusual route” from Assad’s “last safe haven”. “It did it one day before the collapse and on Saturday,” he told The Telegraph. “This is the only jet that’s been flying.”

    A senior United Arab Emirates official refused to confirm or deny speculation he would take shelter in the UAE.

    “When people ask, ‘where is Bashar al-Assad going to?’, this is really at the end of the day a footnote in history,” presidential adviser Anwar Gargash said.

    “I don’t think it’s important. As I said, ultimately this is a footnote really to bigger events,” the Emirati official added when pressed on the question by journalists.

    Chris Doyle, a Syria expert and Director of the Council for Arab-British Understanding, said there are limited places for Mr Assad to hide.

    “There are clear reasons to suspect Moscow and I’d probably put my money on that,” he told The Telegraph. “He has to go somewhere that feels safe and where he won’t be handed over to an international criminal court, a place that will protect him. In my mind, Moscow will be the one.”

    According to the UN, over the past ten years, an average of 84 civilians have been killed every day in direct connection to the war in Syria, by 2022, totalling an estimated 306,887 civilians.

    The US State Department estimates that 1,400 people were killed in 2013 when the Assad regime launched rockets carrying the deadly nerve agent sarin into the Ghouta district of Damascus.

    **Full story:** [**https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2024/12/08/assad-suspected-fleeing-russia-flight-disappears-off-radar/**](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2024/12/08/assad-suspected-fleeing-russia-flight-disappears-off-radar/)

  3. Why would Russia keep him around? He surveys no purpose.

    He had better stay away from.any Windows

  4. Fleeing diplomats doesn’t seem sustainable. Russia should cut their losses… But, the Ukraine invasion contradicts their ability to do such a thing, so I’m honestly intrigued to see the reaction (disregarding their incompetents of the use of nuclear weapons).

  5. If the plane went down, I’m betting Russia shot it down. They don’t want Assad around as a reminder of their failure.

  6. What a coward. Couldn’t face the consequences of his actions to his own people. He’s like his friend Poot who was hiding in bunkers in February 2022 and ran away scared from Moscow when Prigozhin attacked there.

  7. It seems far more likely he will end up in the UAE, where he has friends and allies and he speaks the language.

  8. So, president of Iran died in a helicopter crash earlier this year. Now, president of Syria crashed in an airplane? Interesting.

    I wish Putin a pleasant journey on every future flight, for the rest of his life.

  9. At least gadafi had enough balls to stay in libya til the last minute.

    Assad, like former ukrainian president Yanukovych will now be having slumber parties with putin and sucking his toes in moscow

  10. Don’t blame him for leaving but I wonder what value would he even be to Russia at this point

  11. Could the Syrian War finally be ending this year? What does this mean for Syria?

  12. Russia – home of the mentally and criminally insane!

  13. i saw the flight path of the alleged plane.

    all i wonder is why it would take a path directly above homs which they know is in control of the rebels, go trough iran or something. but i dont care im not gonna mis him

  15. We should all light a candle for the one most hurt by this event; Tusli Gabbard, who lost a hero tonight.

  17. Bro really wtf is happening ceos going down…dictatorships down…don’t give me hope for a good time cuz I got my pew pew ready for the revolution!!!

  19. Assad: so what’s the next part of your master-plan?
    Rebels: crashing this plane…

  20. I’d love to see conservatives scrambling to defend Assad now that he is fleeing to Putin’s side. 

  21. So far, supposedly his own jet crashed, another similar private jet at the right time flew to Abu Dhabi, and now this third plane going to Russia.

    Maybe just wait for the dust to settle.

  22. Will Yanukovych have another neighbour in Rostov? Did Putin decide to gather all the failed dictators there?

  23. If he makes it to Russia, what happens to him when Putin is deposed or dies… Maybe he falls out of a window?

  25. Is it possible he might try to fake his own death and seek refuge in Russia?

  26. It looks like putin gathers all rogues. Yanukovich, Shor… Pretty sure missing someone else. He gets a new item to the collection now

  27. Russia will have had it blown up. No need for a dictator without a country – just a pain in the ass and further embarrassment for Putin.

    Will have used the same trick as the Wagner boss Prigozhin…

  28. Russia , the criminals and terrorist capital of the world.

  30. I expect the plane is a decoy.
    Even in panic, I believe his family prepared for this. He already had so many assets moved when it started.
    Most likely he took off right after his family with other rich lackies and whatever iranians who were there to support him. He will go into hiding for the rest of his life and his family will live off in luxury from all the money he stole from his country over the decades.

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