Russia persuaded Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to leave Syria, convincing him that he was losing the war to armed groups, according to Bloomberg, citing sources.
The escape of the president was organized by Russian intelligence agents, who transported Assad through their airbase in Syria. The aircraft’s transponder was turned off to avoid detection.
When the Syrian army showed little resistance to rebels in Hama, Moscow concluded that it “could no longer do anything to support Assad’s regime.”
Realizing this, the Kremlin was reportedly deeply influenced by the 2011 video showing the brutal killing and mutilation of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi by a mob, and thus did not want a similar fate to befall Assad.
Yesterday, reports surfaced of public executions of former supporters of Assad, as well as Alawites — the religious group to which Assad belongs.
