Ousted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said he stayed in Damascus until the morning of December 8 and left the country only in the evening of that day. A post about this appeared on the social media account of Assad's office, UNN reports, citing the BBC and Russian media.
Assad claims that "never once during the events that took place in Syria" did he consider resigning and fleeing the country.
Last week, Reuters wrote that he had not warned his supporters and relatives about his escape. According to a source, a few hours before he left the country, Assad gathered senior officials from the security services and the army and told them that "military assistance from Russia is on the way.
He told his office manager at the end of the day that he was heading home, but in fact he went to the airport, Reuters said. According to the newspaper, he did not warn his younger brother, who eventually flew by helicopter to Iraq, and from there allegedly went to Moscow. Assad's wife Asma and their three children were already in Russia at the time of his escape.
Earlier, Bloomberg cited its sources as saying that Assad's escape was organized by Russian intelligence: Moscow had allegedly convinced him that he was losing the fight against Islamist-led armed groups and offered him and his family a safe corridor if he left immediately.