Syrian militants overthrow Bashar al-Assad

Z-channels write about preparations for the evacuation of Russian aircraft from Syria

Syrian armed groups entered Damascus, the capital of Syria, on the morning of December 8 and said they had overthrown the “tyrant” Bashar al-Assad after 24 years of rule. At the end of November, a rapid offensive by Assad's opponents began. The Russian Foreign Ministry confirmed that Assad left his post and flew out of Syria, and Russian military bases are on alert. Z-channels claim that personnel at Russian air bases have begun to prepare for evacuation. “Layout” tells what is happening in Syria now.

In order not to miss new texts from “Layout”, subscribe to our telegram channel

The Russian Foreign Ministry confirms that Bashar al-Assad is no longer the president of Syria

The Russian department issued a statement on the situation in Syria following news of the seizure of power by armed groups and reports that Assad had left Damascus.

“As a result of negotiations between B. Assad and a number of participants in the armed conflict on the territory of the Syrian Arab Republic, he decided to leave the presidential post and left the country, giving instructions to carry out the transfer of power peacefully. Russia did not participate in these negotiations,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Russia calls on the parties to renounce the use of violence and resolve all issues politically, the press release says. The Russian Foreign Ministry claims that the Kremlin “is in contact with all groups of the Syrian opposition.”

The department added that Russian military bases in Syria “are on high alert.”

Russian aircraft at Khmeimim airfield are preparing for evacuation

The Telegram channel Fighterbomber, which is led by Captain Ilya Tumanov of the Russian Aerospace Forces, reported that Russian aircraft will be withdrawn from the Khmeimim airfield in Latakia. He was outraged that the train began to be prepared for withdrawal only on December 8, when Syrian rebels occupied Damascus and announced the overthrow of Assad. “Why this was not provided for and ready three days ago is a rhetorical question,” the post says.

Tumanov suggests that the planes will fly to Russia or Africa, but the command has no plans for a “beautiful exit” from Syria. “Judging by the mustache and balls, there are no plans for our graceful departure from Saratov. And now they are painfully being born in the “this should have been done yesterday” mode, writes the captain.

In order not to miss new texts from “Layout”, subscribe to our telegram channel

Z-channel “Military Informant” also reports on the withdrawal of Russian forces from Syria. “It’s hard to believe this, but if so, then we are faced with a colossal geopolitical defeat and the loss of military presence in the Middle East, for which we have fought so hard for the last 9 years,” the author of the post laments.

On December 7, The War Zone recorded signs of a “possible evacuation” at the Khmeimim airfield, noting the appearance of several Il-76 and An-124 Ruslan transport aircraft, on which Russia was transporting heavy equipment and air defense to Syria.

On December 3, OSINT analyst MT Anderson noticed that several frigates, tankers and ships had left the Russian Navy base in the Syrian city of Tartus. The Russian Ministry of Defense then said that the ships were participating in planned exercises in the Mediterranean Sea.

In Damascus, portraits of Bashar al-Assad are burned and monuments to his father are demolished

“We celebrate with the Syrian people the news of the release of our prisoners and the fall of shackles, and we also announce the end of an era of injustice in Sednaya prison,” said the militants who entered Damascus on December 8.

One of them added that the opposition group “Operational Headquarters for the Conquest of Damascus” called on all opponents of Assad and citizens to protect the state institutions of the “free Syrian state.”

Reuters, citing a Syrian officer, wrote that the command of the Syrian army notified officers about the end of the regime of Bashar al-Assad. But the Syrian army later said it was continuing operations against “terrorist groups” in the cities of Hama and Homs, as well as in the Daraa countryside.

According to news reports, thousands of people have poured into the central square of Damascus, shouting “Freedom.” Videos are circulating on social media showing people in Damascus shooting in the air, burning portraits of Bashar al-Assad and demolishing monuments to his father Hafez al-Assad.

Syrian Prime Minister Mohammed Ghazi al-Jalali made a video message and said his government was “ready to cooperate with any leadership elected by the people.” He added that the issue of Russia's military presence in the country will be decided by the new authorities.

It is unknown where Bashar al-Assad is currently located. Al Jazeera reported that he flew out of Damascus. Two Syrian Reuters sources say Assad may have died in the plane crash. According to Flightradar24, a Syrian Air IL-76 took off from Damascus when militants announced the capture of the city. The plane headed towards the location of Russian military bases, but did not reach and made a sharp turn, after which it disappeared from the radar. “It disappeared from radar, perhaps the transponder was turned off, but I think it is more likely that the plane was shot down ...,” Reuters quoted one of the sources as saying.

Opponents of Bashar al-Assad previously captured Aleppo, Hama, Homs

The offensive of Syrian groups into the territory controlled by the government of Bashar al-Assad began on November 27. The group of opponents of Assad is led by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham organization, which is recognized as terrorist in Russia and the United States. Hayat Tahrir al-Sham was part of al-Qaeda until 2016.

The first city captured during the militant offensive was Aleppo. The rebels then issued a statement that what was happening was not “part of what is happening in the Russian-Ukrainian war” and that they were not acting against any country, including Russia. After reports of the capture of Aleppo, Reuters wrote that the Kremlin promised to provide additional military assistance to Bashar al-Assad.

According to the non-governmental rescue service Syrian Civil Defense, for the first time since 2016, Russian aircraft attacked the positions of Assad’s opponents. The service noted that residential areas, a gas station and a school were hit.

After Aleppa, Syrian factions captured Hama. Next came the city of Deir ez-Zor, which was a stronghold of Assad’s forces in the desert in eastern Syria. After this, the fourth major city of Homs was captured, which is of strategic importance and connects Damascus with the territories on the Mediterranean coast, where Russian military bases are located and Alawites who support the Assad regime live.

How Russia supported the regime of Bashar al-Assad

The civil war in Syria has been ongoing since 2011. In 2015, Russia began a military operation in Syria to support the regime of Bashar al-Assad, by that time most of the territories were under the control of the rebels. According to Russian President Vladimir Putin, the purpose of Russia's operation in Syria was to “stabilize the legitimate government” and “create conditions for finding a political compromise.”

After this, Assad's army, with the help of Russian forces, established control over most major Syrian cities.

In 2018, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported that Russian bombing in Syria had killed about 8,300 civilians, including about 2,000 children. In 2022, the UN Human Rights Office published a report which found that 306,887 civilians had been killed in the conflict in Syria from 2011 to 2021.

From the beginning of the operation, Russian authorities claimed that there would be no Russian ground contingent in Syria and that the Syrian army would be supported only by aerospace forces. At the same time, during the assault operations in Syria, mercenaries of the Wagner PMC, who were in contact with Russian commanders, were actively operating.

Before the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, 132 Russian military installations were located in Syria. Over two years, their number decreased to 114. They include 93 military points, 21 bases, including the Khmeimim air base and the naval base in the port of Tartus.

Journalists from the BBC Russian Service note that in the fall of 2021, there were approximately seven thousand Russian military personnel in Syria. These data are based on information from a polling station in Damascus. In March 2024, the Russian contingent increased by 500 people. The Russian service of the BBC believes that this is connected with the failed rebellion of the owner of the Wagner PMC, Yevgeny Prigozhin. After his death, the mercenaries who were in Syria signed a contract with the Russian Ministry of Defense.

“Vorstka” wrote about how former mercenaries are recruited into the Russian Ministry of Defense using the example of Africa. The Afrika Korps of the Ministry of Defense actually replaced the Wagner PMC in several African countries, and also lured former employees of the group to work for them.

Photo: Orhan Qereman / REUTERS

Support “Vestka” - it’s important and safe →