After the demise of the decades-long Assad rule over Syria, his escape and subsequent asylum in Russia have been filled with rumors.
To begin with, Bashar Al-Assad and his family were on a plane that, on approach to a Russian air base, turned off the transponder, leading many to believe his plane had been shot down.
Since arriving in Russia, his wife Asma has been said to be either asking for divorce and longing to go back to her native UK or else suffering from a terminal disease.
Now, a Russian Telegram channel has made headlines around the world with the claim that Assad may have been poisoned.
This has sparked fierce online speculation about the fate of the Syrian dictator.
#BasharAlAssad poisoned? Report claims ousted #Syrian president hospitalised in #Moscow after alleged bid on life
Watch for details pic.twitter.com/tkcTr1Q2To
— The Times Of India (@timesofindia) January 2, 2025
Newsweek reported:
“The claim was made by General SVR, which says it is run by former and current members of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service, although it does not offer any evidence of these ties.
In a post written on its Russian and English language channels on Tuesday, it said ‘there is every reason to believe that an assassination attempt was made’ on Assad, adding that he had complained to his security team ‘about feeling unwell, having trouble breathing, and asked for medical help’.
British tabloid newspapers, as well as social media users, have picked up the claims, which have not been independently verified. Newsweek has contacted the Kremlin and General SVR for comment by email.”
Russia extended refuge to Assad, an ally of President Vladimir Putin, after the lighting-strike uprising led by the rebel Islamist militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) ended the 50-year-long rule of the Assad family.
“The General SVR Telegram channel posted on New Year’s Eve that two days earlier Assad had asked for medical help, after having trouble breathing and beginning to cough violently and choke.”
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