An opposition fighter stands in front of a portrait of President Bashar al-Assad, in Hama, on Dec. 6, 2024. (Credit: AFP)
It was Dec. 7, 2024, just after midnight. Staff at the presidential palace in Damascus, perched on a hill overlooking the capital in the Mazzeh district, fled in a wave of panic. Since morning, they had been growing restless, awaiting the speech President Bashar al-Assad was expected to record. Inside the palace, the belief was that his address would halt the advance of rebel groups who had launched their offensive from Idlib just over 10 days earlier and had just claimed to have seized the strategic city of Homs.But in a surprising turn, the Syrian leader’s aides uncovered the ruse. The announcement of the speech was merely a diversion. The aim was to avoid raising suspicion over his behind-the-scenes departure from the country, news they were only then discovering. In turn, they quickly abandoned the compound. A few hours earlier,...
It was Dec. 7, 2024, just after midnight. Staff at the presidential palace in Damascus, perched on a hill overlooking the capital in the Mazzeh district, fled in a wave of panic. Since morning, they had been growing restless, awaiting the speech President Bashar al-Assad was expected to record. Inside the palace, the belief was that his address would halt the advance of rebel groups who had launched their offensive from Idlib just over 10 days earlier and had just claimed to have seized the strategic city of Homs.But in a surprising turn, the Syrian leader’s aides uncovered the ruse. The announcement of the speech was merely a diversion. The aim was to avoid raising suspicion over his behind-the-scenes departure from the country, news they were only then discovering. In turn, they quickly abandoned the compound. A few hours...