Hours before rebel forces seized Damascus and toppled his government on Sunday, Syrian president Bashar al-Assad was already out of the country, telling hardly anyone, five former officials told AFP.The night before, Assad had even asked his close adviser Buthaina Shaaban to prepare a speech -- which the ousted leader never gave -- before flying from Damascus airport to Russia's Hmeimim air base in Syria, and from there out of the country.Assad left even "without telling... his close confidants in advance", a former aide told AFP, requesting anonymity for security reasons.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: A palace in shock: Bashar al-Assad's final moments in Syria
