In his first public comments since fleeing Syria and being evacuated to Russia, former leader Bashar al-Assad says his departure was unplanned.
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00:00In his first public comment since fleeing Syria and being evacuated to Russia, former
00:05leader Bashar al-Assad says his departure was unplanned.
00:09The ousted Syrian president is claiming instead that his Russian allies decided to evacuate
00:14him from an airbase when it came under heavy drone attack.
00:18Al-Assad also attempted to cast himself as a brave leader who fought until the end as
00:24opposition fighters closed in on Damascus.
00:28His statement was published on the Telegram channel of the Syrian presidency, however,
00:32it is unclear who now controls the account.
00:36Al-Assad claimed that he never considered stepping down or seeking refuge, nor was such
00:41a proposal made by any individual or party.
00:45He now lives in Moscow with his family after being granted asylum.