( AP )
Ousted Syrian President Bashar Assad says he had no plans to leave the country after the fall of Damascus a week ago but the Russian military evacuated him from their base in western Syria after it came under attack.
“I did not leave the country as part of a plan as it was reported earlier,” Assad said. The comments are the first by Assad since he was overthrown on Dec. 8 by jihadi-led Syrian rebels, who are now working to establish security and start a political transition.
Israel has been pounding what it says are military sites in Syria after the dramatic collapse of Assad’s rule, wiping out air defenses and most of the arsenal of the Syrian army. Israeli troops have also seized a border buffer zone, sparking condemnation, with critics accusing Israel of violating the 1974 ceasefire and possibly exploiting the chaos in Syria for a land grab.
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