Syria’s deposed President Bashar al-Assad, and his family on Sunday arrived in Moscow, where Russia offered them asylum, Russian state news agency reported.
“Assad and his family members arrived in Moscow. Being guided by humanitarian considerations, Russia has granted asylum for them,” TASS said, citing a Kremlin source.
“Russia has always spoken in favor of a political settlement of the Syrian crisis. We insist that the UN-mediated talks be resumed,” the source told the news agency.
“Russian officials are in touch with representatives of armed Syrian opposition, whose leaders have guaranteed security of Russian military bases and diplomatic missions on the Syrian territory,” the source added.
After a period of relative calm, clashes between Assad regime forces and anti-regime groups reignited on Nov. 27 in rural areas west of Aleppo, a major city in northern Syria.
Over 10 days, opposition forces launched a lightning offensive, capturing key cities and then, on Sunday, the capital, Damascus. The rapid advance, supported by defecting military units, led to the collapse of the Assad regime after 13 years of civil war.