The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that Russian forces transferred dozens of first-line officers in the former Syrian regime’s army to one of its bases in North Africa, without knowing their final destination..
The Observatory said that the transfer took place in at least two batches. The first was on December 8, the day Bashar al-Assad fled, and was on board a civilian plane that included dozens of senior intelligence officers, army commanders, and figures controlling the state’s affairs, including figures sanctioned by the United States and Europe.
The Observatory added: “The second batch left on December 13, as senior officers were transported on a Russian military cargo plane.”
According to Observatory sources, “Russian cargo planes in Hmeimim and ships in the port of Tartus, where two Russian bases are located, transported their nationals, officers and individuals in the Russian forces in batches, even before Assad fled.”
In the same context, the people of the town of Mishmish in the Lebanese city of Akkar stopped a “van” designated for transporting passengers, and after inspecting it, it was found that inside it were 13 people of Syrian nationality who were close to the former Syrian regime.
Yesterday, Saturday, the Syrian Observatory reported that the Lebanese army handed over about 70 Syrians, including officers of various ranks in the former regime forces, to manage military operations in the countryside of Tartous.
In another context, the British newspaper “Daily Mail” quoted sources in the British government that Asma al-Assad – the wife of ousted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad – no longer possesses valid British travel documents, entitling her to enter Britain, after her passport expired.
The Daily Mail quoted sources in the British government as saying that Asma al-Assad’s British passport had expired in 2020. The British Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper, also stated that the government would not allow her to return to the country, because the decision “cannot be based solely on reasons.” “Healthy.”
Earlier, Foreign Secretary David Lammy told MPs that Asma, who was born and raised in Acton, west London, was “not welcome here.”
According to reports based on the newspaper, Asma al-Assad’s condition is deteriorating due to her suffering from leukemia. These reports indicated that the chances of Asma al-Assad surviving do not exceed 50%.
The 49-year-old woman announced last May that she was undergoing treatment after being diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia, an aggressive cancer that affects the bone marrow and blood. This comes shortly after she recovered from breast cancer in 2019.
Although she holds British citizenship, Asma al-Assad remains bound by the sanctions imposed on her for her association with her ousted husband’s regime, as the British Prime Minister’s Office confirmed that the sanctions will prevent her from returning to the United Kingdom.
After the outbreak of the Syrian revolution in 2011, the European Union imposed sanctions on it, including a travel ban and asset freeze, justifying this by saying that it “benefits from the Syrian regime with which it is linked.” Despite the United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union, London maintained these sanctions.
On December 8, the rule of the Baath Party, which took power in Syria in 1963, collapsed, with Bashar al-Assad’s regime losing control of the capital, Damascus, and entering the control of factions of the Military Operations Room.
Last updated: December 30, 2024 – 12:35
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