Assad of Syria attributes regime downfall to ‘terrorism’ in first comment after defeat

After being overthrown by a rebel offensive and seeking refuge in Russia, former Syrian President Bashar Assad recently released his first official statement. He mentioned that his departure from Syria was at the request of Moscow.

Assad clarified that his exit was not premeditated and did not take place during the final stages of the conflict. These remarks were shared on the presidency’s official Telegram channel.

“As terrorist forces infiltrated Damascus, I moved to Latakia in coordination with our Russian allies to oversee combat operations,” Assad said.

Upon reaching the Khmeimim air base, Assad observed that the Syrian forces had withdrawn from all battlefronts, and the remaining army positions had also been lost, leading to his decision to leave.

“As the field situation in the area continued to deteriorate, the Russian military base itself came under intensified attack by drone strikes. With no viable means of leaving the base, Moscow requested that the base’s command arrange an immediate evacuation to Russia.”

“This took place a day after the fall of Damascus, following the collapse of the final military positions and the resulting paralysis of all state institutions,” Assad said.

“At no point during these events did I consider stepping down or seeking refuge, nor was such a proposal made by any individual or party,” Assad said. “The only course of action was to continue fighting against the terrorist onslaught.”

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

ABC News’ Somayeh Malekian, Ghazi Balkiz and Joe Simonetti contributed to this report.