They were Mr Assad's first public comments since he was overthrown by insurgent groups just over a week ago following a swift offensive that has shaken up the country's alliances and led to celebrations in a nation long stifled by civil war.
Mr Assad said on Facebook that he left Damascus on the morning of 8 December, hours after insurgents stormed the capital. He said he left in coordination with Russian allies to their Hmeimim airbase in the coastal province of Latakia, where he had planned to keep fighting.
But after the Russian base came under attack by drones, he said, the Russians decided to move him that night to Russia.
“At no point during these events did I consider stepping down or seeking refuge nor was such proposal made by any individual or party,” Mr Assad said in the English text of his statement. “The only course of action was to continue fighting against the terrorist onslaught.”
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة December 17, 2024 من The Independent.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة December 17, 2024 من The Independent.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
Track queen Hodgkinson races towards another prize
Lawrence Ostlere on why the 800m Olympic champion is favourite to win the BBC's Sports Personality of the Year
New year, new City? Pep's crisis demands an overhaul
It was neither the most extreme nor most expensive piece of scrambled thinking by anyone of a Manchester City persuasion.
Fans get 'Battle of Britain' in tough Euro 2025 draw
Holders England and debutants Wales are joined by France and the Netherlands in Group D
Late drama as Cherries and West Ham share the points
The media giant is behind films including the Paddington franchise, Back to Black and Love Actually through its studio business, StudioCanal. London’s stock market has seen several companies move their primary listings abroad, and a raft of listed firms taken private following acquisitions.
The 'Czech Sphinx' is just what the Royal Mail needs
Controversial as the deal may be, Daniel Kretinsky might be the only man with a realistic prospect of fixing the company, writes James Moore but he is still taking a significant risk
Assad wanted to stay and keep fighting, he claims
Ousted Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad said that he wanted to stay in the country after rebels captured the capital, but the Russian military evacuated him from their base in western Syria after it came under attack.
'In the last week, there were no attempts to kill anyone'
Sitting in the police headquarters of Homs, in an office that, until last week, was run by the feared intelligence network of Bashar al-Assad, Alaa Omran is holding court.
Germany on course to hold snap election in February
German chancellor Olaf Scholz has lost a confidence vote, putting the European Union’s most populous member and biggest economy on course to hold an early election in late February.
The silent war taking place on Nato's eastern fringes
Narva, on Estonia’s border with Russia, has been targeted by the Kremlin since 2022. Millie Cooke talks to residents and discovers that anti-Russian feeling is by no means universal
New homeschooling laws after murder of Sara Sharif
The right to home education will no longer be automatic for parents of the most at-risk children, under proposed legislation being unveiled in parliament today.
