Russia's Secret Plan To Evacuate Bashar al-Assad From Syria Revealed

Ousted Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad is being hosted in Russia, and he had been transported there "in the most secure way possible" after the swift collapse of his regime, Russia's deputy foreign minister, Sergei Ryabkov, has said in an interview to NBC News. The Kremlin said on Monday that President Vladimir Putin had made the decision to grant asylum in Russia to Assad. His fall is a big blow to Iran and Russia, which had intervened in Syria's 13-year civil war to try to shore up his rule despite the West's demands that he leave power.

"He is secured, and it shows that Russia acts as required in such an extraordinary situation," Sergei Ryabkov told NBC News, becoming the first Russian official to confirm Assad's presence in the country.

"I have no idea what is going on with him right now," Ryabkov said, adding that it "would be very wrong for me to elaborate on what happened and how it was resolved."

Asked whether Russia would hand over Assad for trial, Ryabkov said, "Russia is not a party to the convention that established the International Criminal Court."

He also advised Israel "to seriously consider what is going on in the Golan Heights" and "not to infringe" on Syrian territory.

How Russia Planned A Safe Escape For Bashar al-Assad

According to Bloomberg, Russia was unable to prop up the regime any longer but persuaded Assad that he would lose the fight against armed groups led by the former al-Qaeda offshoot HTS and offered him and his family safe passage if he left immediately. Russian intelligence agents organised the escape, flying Assad out via its air base in Syria. Within hours of his departure, the militants swept unopposed into Damascus, ending the Assad family's dynasty of more than half a century.

Assad's departure removes a bastion from which Iran and Russia wielded power across the Middle East. Assad's father, Hafez al-Assad, sided with the Soviet Union to try to achieve parity with U.S.-backed Israel.

The Kremlin said Syria was subject to "extreme instability," and it was too early to speak about the future of Russian bases in the country.