Ex-Syrian Media Chief Reveals New Details on Damascus Fall
WANA (Jan 05) – The former head of the Syrian presidential media office has disclosed new insights into the events leading to the fall of Damascus.
On Saturday, Kamel Saqr, the ex-director of Syria’s presidential media office, claimed that Russia declined Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s request to facilitate the transfer of Iranian military aid to Syria through the Hmeimim Airbase following the fall of Aleppo.
Saqr revealed that Assad had been unable to contact Russian President Vladimir Putin for three days leading up to December 8—the day Damascus fell.
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WANA (Dec 31) – The leader of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group (HTS) stated that the new Syrian government cannot sever its relations with major countries, including the Islamic Republic of Iran. Ahmad al-Sharaa, known as Abu Mohammad al-Julani, the leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, said: “Syria cannot cut ties with a major country […]
Saqr added that Iranian officials informed Assad that there was no guarantee for Iranian aircraft to safely use the airspace over Iraq and Syria to deliver supplies to the Hmeimim base. Furthermore, Russia reportedly ignored Assad’s request to allow the use of the base for receiving Iranian aid.
Saqr stated that Iranian officials also warned Assad that the United States had threatened to shoot down any aircraft departing from Iran and entering Iraqi airspace toward Hmeimim, forcing the planes to return.
The former media chief described the dire state of Syria’s military infrastructure prior to the fall of Aleppo, noting that the military was unable to sustain prolonged conflict. Additionally, he highlighted the severe economic crisis gripping the country at the time.
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WANA (Dec 14) – Syria’s soil fell under the occupation of terrorists and the Israeli apartheid regime within 11 days of the Syrian army’s surrender. Its military infrastructure was destroyed in just 3 days, proving once again that if you lay down your weapons, your enemy won’t do the same. Syria became a lesson. […]
On December 6, Saqr claimed, Iraqi officials informed Syria that Turkey had rejected any dialogue with Assad under the prevailing circumstances.
Saqr also disclosed that Alexander Lavrentiev, Russia’s special envoy to Syria, had tried to persuade Assad to engage in talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Assad, however, refused to meet Erdogan or hold discussions at the foreign minister level, limiting contacts to security officials.
Assad’s rejection of Russia’s proposal reportedly frustrated Moscow. Saqr further noted that Assad’s last trip to Russia before the fall of Damascus ended without results, as he failed to establish contact with Putin.
