«--[· Preface ·]--»
Has Assad really been drowned after being “addicted” to the game of poisoning?
«-[· The Road to Exile ·]-»
In December, Damascus was destined to be included in the history of the Syrian unrest. The rebels armed from Aleppo province and down the south, breaking through the defensive lines of Hama, Homs and others, and eventually entered the capital's land.
When Syrian Prime Minister Jalali posted a video on social media, he couldn't tell the whereabouts of President Assad. All he knows is that the last time he contacted Assad was on the evening of the 7th, and Damascus International Airport was completely shut down in the early morning of the 8th, and government forces were withdrawing from the central area.
The details of Assad’s escape were eventually made public by his son Hafez. Hafez was resumed in a video of the high-ranking community in Moscow. He was studying his doctorate at the time, and his mother was also being treated in Moscow. After the situation worsened, he briefly returned to Damascus to reunite with his father. At three o’clock in the morning, the airport was empty, and the control tower had long been out of guard.
They boarded a Russian military plane and first flew to Khmeimim Air Force Base in Latakia, and then transferred to Moscow. At the same time, the Russian cargo ship "Engineer Trubin" and the frigate "Admiral Grigorovich" were sailing from the Tartus Naval Base to the Mediterranean Sea, and the remaining weapons and equipment were gradually transported back to China by military aircraft. This evacuation became a footnote to the end of the Assad regime.
«--[·Suspected of poisoning·]--»
Moscow's asylum failed to bring Assad absolute security. The poisoning revelations thrown by foreign media form a sharp tug-of-war with Russia's public denial. On October 2nd, "Syrian Human Rights Watch" released a message through Russia Today's website, saying that Assad was poisoned in Moscow and was out of danger after 11 days of rescue. According to sources, the poisoners intended to discredit Russia and tried to blame the Russian government that provided asylum.
What is even more intriguing is the details of the visit. Assad's brother Maher was not allowed near the ward, but Mansour Azzam, former secretary-general for presidential affairs, was allowed to visit him. This news caused waves in public opinion in the Middle East, with people speculating on the political game behind poisoning.
But only 11 days later, Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov dismissed the statement on his face. He stressed at a meeting with Arab national journalists that Russia provided asylum purely for humanitarian reasons, that Assad’s life in Moscow was no problem, and that those who spread poisoning rumors should be held accountable. The truth was wrapped between diplomatic statements and anonymous explosives, but this wave of storms undoubtedly added another shadow to Assad’s exile life.
The 59-year-old Assad’s residence in Moscow is not difficult. He and his family occupy 20 apartments on three floors of a skyscraper. The apartment hall has a 20-meter-high ceiling with modern art and a private reception area.
Local real estate agent Natasha showed similar housing patterns, allowing the outside world to see the exile of the former president "marking". he occasionally goes to the nearby shopping center, always following the guard, the action is not entirely limited.
The German Times, citing the explosions of former core circle member "K", revealed the real state of Assad. The former head of state rarely went out and spent most of his time in online games.
The virtual world became his only escape from reality, temporarily isolating his loneliness and political frustration in exile. His brother Maher is also in a depressed state, hiding in the Four Seasons Hotel in Moscow, drinking and smoking hookah all day long. The state of the father and son echoed wonderfully-Hafiz shouted in the video that "there are no plans to leave Damascus," but his father spent time in the game world of Moscow.
“The game of value...”
Assad's decadent appearance made the outside world begin to question his use value of Putin. Russia's strategic demands in Syria have never changed, and Tartus Naval Base and Khmeimim Air Base are still its important fulcrums in the Mediterranean Sea.
However, the turn of the new Syrian regime has made Assad's "surplus value" increasingly blurred. The transitional government led by Julani has already fallen to the West. On September 18th, the Syrian Foreign Minister even went to the United States to discuss the security agreement with Israel, and agreed that Israel would retain the "air corridor" against Iran.
In June, the United States launched the “Midnight Hammer” operation, using Syrian airspace to destroy a large amount of Iranian military facilities. Yemen’s Houthi armed forces lost weapons delivery channels, Hezbollah in Lebanon fell into isolation, and Russia had no time to help South Korea because of the war in Ukraine.
“ ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ”
Under such a pattern, Assad's addiction to the game seems to be a "expired political asset." Putin's asylum is more like a gesture, bothining a weak influence on the Middle East situation and avoiding the accusation of "leaving allies" on the back.