Moscow claims Assad fled as mystery plane leaves Russian air base in Syria

The Russian Foreign Ministry said on Sunday afternoon that former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad had left office and departed the country after giving orders there be a peaceful handover of power.

In a statement, the ministry did not say where Assad was now and said Russia had not taken part in the talks about his departure.

Just minutes before Russia announced Assad's alleged departure, a transport plane took off from a Russian airfield in Latakia, Syria.

This statement comes as various reports emerged on Sunday regarding the whereabouts of Assad after the fall of his regime earlier in the day.

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US President-elect Donald Trump noted that Assad had escaped the country in a post on the Truth social media platform. 

"Assad is gone. He has fled his country. His protector, Russia, Russia, Russia, led by Vladimir Putin, was not interested in protecting him any longer," he wrote.

A senior Israeli official told Walla that after reportedly leaving Damascus, Assad had flown to the Russian-operated Khmeimim Air Base in Syria.

The official suggested that Assad may have intended to travel onward to Moscow, though there is no confirmation at this stage that he has left Syria.

A senior American official also confirmed to Walla that the US had tracked Assad’s departure from Damascus, adding, “We believed he was planning to fly to Russia.”

The United Arab Emirates diplomatic advisor to the president said on Sunday that Syria is not out of the woods yet, and extremism and terrorism remain a main concern, adding that he did not know whether or not Bashar al-Assad was in the UAE.

"I don't know," Anwar Gargash told reporters on the sidelines of the Manama Security dialogue in Bahrain when asked if Assad was in the UAE.

Gargash also said Assad had not used the 'lifeline' offered to him by various Arab countries before, including the UAE.

Further details regarding the purpose of the trip remain unclear.

Two senior army officers familiar with the incident told Reuters that Assad had boarded a plane and had left for an unknown destination.

A Syrian Air plane took off from Damascus airport around the time the capital was reported to have been taken by rebels, according to data from the Flightradar website.

The aircraft initially flew towards Syria's coastal region, a stronghold of Assad's Alawite sect, but then made an abrupt U-turn and flew in the opposite direction for a few minutes before disappearing off the map.

Rebel forces have declared Damascus 'free'

CNN reported that rebel forces in Syria have declared Damascus “free,” claiming Bashar al-Assad has fled the capital, according to a statement on Sunday.

“We declare the city of Damascus free from the tyrant Bashar al-Assad,” the Military Operations Command wrote in a post on Telegram.

“To the displaced all over the world, a free Syria awaits you,” the statement added.