Tyrant Bashar al-Assad’s smuggling out of Syria may have included body doubles and decoy helicopters.
As the rebels moved in, Russian spies pulled the dictator out of the country after Vladimir Putin personally authorized the evacuation at the last minute.
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Vladimir Putin pulled his friend Bashar al-Assad out of Syria and gave him asylum in Russia
Much of the drive for freedom remains a mystery because Assad kept the escape a secret from his closest friends and advisers, in case it leaked to his enemies.
On Saturday, he lied to his office about going home after work – even encouraging his commanders to keep fighting because Russia was coming to the rescue.
But the leader instead went to the airport with staff leaving pots bubbling on the stove while he sneaked out of the country.
Assad was then flown out of Syria on a plane that had its transponder turned off to avoid any tracking, Bloomberg reported.
The Bloody Butcher reportedly confided in almost no one about his plans to flee Syria as his rule crumbled.
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So how did Assad manage to flee the country with moments to spare before the rebels invaded?
Security expert Will Geddes said he could have used body doubles and a variety of other disguises to aid in the escape.
He told The Sun: “President Assad would no doubt already have a plan for an emergency exit – it would have been planned for many, many years.”
Geddes added that Assad’s team would want to send the rebels on a “wild goose chase” as they evacuated their man.
He said: “They could have the president’s car, his favorite limousine, whatever it is, driving in the opposite direction in Damascus, with someone sitting in the back who looks like his wife, looks like him or looks like a family member.
“You want to send them [rebels] scattered in many different directions.
“You will do everything you can to confuse the enemy, to confuse their intelligence networks, to dispute all reported sightings in various forms.”
“Sacrificial gesture”
Assad could even leave “sacrificial gestures” behind, such as gold bullion, to slow down the rebels and get them to fight each other.
Geddes said Assad would spend the last few days in his presidential palace overseeing the evacuation of his family, wealth and most valuable possessions.
He said: “In Assad’s case, he had a well-executed, well-planned extraction plan.”
Geddes said Assad’s evacuation plan would likely have steps that escalated as the rebels got closer.
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Rebels were in the presidential palace just hours after Assad fledCredit: AP
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Syrian opposition fighters stand on top of a captured tank during a lightning offensiveCredit: AP
Geddes said, “You may already be moving gold bullion, money, jewelry, valuables of various kinds out of the country well in advance.”
This would even include pets.
He said: “You know that any kind of mercenary, any kind of private security operator, is not going to be so heartless that you can’t take Fido, who has been your family friend for the last 12 years.”
President Assad, no doubt, would already have a plan for an emergency withdrawal – it would have been planned for many, many years
Will Geddes Security Expert
What the evacuees might take personally would be the last of Assad’s belongings likely to ever leave Syria.
Geddes said Assad would hide the money in a Swiss bank account and prepare an escape fund into which he could drop bribes if they encountered enemy fighters.
He said: “Obviously the team should make sure they can go through different checkpoints or certain areas where problems can arise.
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Assad’s ‘People’s Palace’ was destroyed by rebels after his ousterCredit: Reuters
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Syrians celebrate as they attend the first Friday prayers since the ouster of AssadCredit: Reuters
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Mohamed al-Jolani, head of the HST, addresses supporters after the ouster of Bashar al-AssadCredit: AFP
“It depends on whether you really want to use force to potentially prevail or whether you can say ‘okay, here you go guys, here’s $50,000. Shut up. You’ve never seen us’.”
Assad’s presidential protection probably included the best troops he could get to protect him.
Geddes said: “He may have also brought in foreign ex-special forces, they could be from the US or the UK, they could be from anywhere, people who will have a lot of experience in those areas.
“They would probably have excess security that the Russians would have already documented, tagged, checked, made sure they knew who they were.
“They will not pose a threat to the protection of the presidential palace or his personal belongings, or those of his wife and his family, they would be at the mercy of the rebels.”
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Rebel fighters stand next to the burning grave of Hafez al-AssadCredit: AFP
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One airport that Bashar al-Assad could fly out of was Damascus InternationalCredit: EPA
The evacuation team would prepare basic necessities such as food, water and appropriate clothing.
Assad would then be flown by helicopter to the airport to avoid getting caught in heavy traffic on the streets of Damascus, Geddes said.
The decoy helicopters would fly off in different directions to divert attention from the one carrying Assad.
There would be a plane at the airport filled with fuel and waiting probably on a private airstrip so that it could take off whenever it wanted.
Geddes said Assad would tour countries to try to find the best possible asylum deal.
Reuters reports that Assad tried to get asylum in the United Arab Emirates, but the country turned him down because it was worried about a retaliatory strike from the United States.
Putin’s spies allegedly organized the draw – but the Russian dictator has no intention of meeting him now that he’s in exile.
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Rebel fighters in Aleppo shoot in the air after capturing the city
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A rebel fighter fires a multi-barrel rocket launcher at regime forces
Assad was even able to use secret tunnels to escape his presidential palace.
Rebels at the house of Assad’s brother Maher in Damascus found tunnels and a residential area underneath them.
A fully equipped kitchen with Pepsi cans and Tetley tea, a modern living room and bathroom and discarded shopping bags can be seen in the disturbing footage.
Maher ended up helicoptering into Iraq alone while also fleeing the country.
Russian ‘disinformation’ flight
Mysteriously, the flight was recorded leaving Damascus on Sunday morning by flight tracking website Flightradar24.
The plane was spotted heading towards the Mediterranean Sea, before making a bizarre U-turn near Homs, descending and then disappearing from the map.
The plane was an Ilyushin Il-76T – a type of plane used by the Russian military.
The flight disappeared from radar at 5.29am – 40 minutes after take off – and altitude data showed it had descended into a field.
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The flight recorded on Flightradar24 was flying north of Damascus
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Security expert Will Geddes said Assad’s supporters would have waged a disinformation campaign during the evacuationCredit: Darren Fletcher
Rumors about Assad’s whereabouts circulated online when he disappeared – with some believing he had been shot down.
In a statement, Flightradar24 said the plane’s signal was lost near Homs – but this could be due to an older transponder.
They said: “The aircraft was flying in an area of GPS jamming, so some of the data could be bad.”
In the end, it was confirmed that the Syrian dictator had safely arrived in Russia after Putin’s foreign ministry issued a humiliating statement on behalf of the dictator.
Ukraine’s Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security claimed on X that Russia “covered its tracks” in helping al-Assad escape by spreading false claims that he had died in an accident.
Assad dynasty
The Assad dynasty in Syria began with Hafez al-Assad – who seized power in a 1971 military coup and established an authoritarian regime.
His rule focused on centralized government control, military strength, suppression of dissent, Syria’s close association with the Soviet Union, and an anti-Israel stance.
He established a cult of personality and corruption flourished as loyalty to Hafez became the most important value.
Bashar was not the first choice to succeed his father and his elder son Bassel is ready to take on the role.
Bashar was working as an ophthalmologist at the Western Eye Hospital in London when Bassel was killed in a car accident in 1994.
Suddenly, Bashar became the main heir and was called back to Damascus to be groomed for leadership.
He spent six and a half years learning from his father and working in the army.
Hafez died of a heart attack in 2000 and, with the loyalty of his party, transferred power to Bashar, establishing the first Arab dynastic republic.
They initially hoped for liberal reforms under Bashar, but hopes faded as he instead continued his father’s repressive policies.
When the protesters rose up in 2011, Assad brutally tried to crush them with brute force.
But he lost the support of many of his people and sparked the Syrian civil war.
In 2013, the cruel dictator even used chemical weapons on rebel areas as he did everything to stay in power.
The civil war dragged on killing hundreds of thousands, destroying cities and opening the way for ISIS to flourish.
In the end, Assad got the upper hand after Iran sent Hezbollah forces and Russia sent planes to bomb the rebels and the Wagner mercenary group to fight them.
Earlier this year, Assad appeared to be on the verge of victory in a war with rebels confined to an area in the country’s northwest.
Assad chose not to negotiate with the rebels and instead sought to defeat them completely.
But the rebels launched a surprise offensive on November 27 and swept away Assad’s corrupt and disloyal army.
After capturing Damascus in a swift and decisive offensive, rebel forces declared victory and declared the city “free from Assad”.
The dictator fled from Syria completely humiliated – he made a statement through the Russians, resigned from the position of president and left the country.
Bashar has now been granted asylum in Moscow and is currently under Russian protection.
The fall of the 54-year-old Assad dynasty ignited celebrations across Syria.
In the capital, thousands took to the streets, waving rebel flags and lighting torches.
Statues of Assad and his late father, Hafez, were toppled in symbolic acts of defiance.
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Broken bust of Hafez Assad Credit: AP
Categories: Optical Illusion
Source: HIS Education