(MENAFN- Live Mint) Exiled Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad was recently hospitalised in critical condition after being poisoned while staying in Russia, according to a report from the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Assad, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, was rushed to a hospital on September 20 and remained under medical care for nine days before being released.

This comes days after Syria issued an international arrest warrant for former president Bashar al-Assad. The poisoning allegedly occurred at his villa near Moscow, a location said to be heavily guarded by Russian security forces.

Assad and his family fled to Russia in December after rebel forces overthrew his regime, ending a brutal 13-year civil war that began with pro-democracy protests and was met with violent crackdowns. The conflict drew in multiple foreign powers, including Russia, Iran, the U.S., and Turkey.

“Whether the poisoning was a result of confusion or more, no one knows,” read the report.“When Bashar al-Assad was admitted to the hospital, he was admitted in an emergency room and in critical condition in intensive care in a private hospital in or near the Moscow suburbs.”

“Only the party that carried out the operation knows whether it was to kill Bashar al-Assad or to embarrass the Russian government,” the report added.

Assad faces serious accusations, including the use of chemical weapons on civilians and systematic torture. As of March 2024, over 600,000 people had died in the war, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The United Nations estimates that more than half of Syria's prewar population of 23 million has been displaced.

(This is a developing story)

MENAFN04102025007365015876ID1110151099