Syrian FM uncovers insights into hours before fall of Assad’s regime

(MENAFN) Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani on Monday revealed new insights into the last hours leading up to the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime last year, including a meeting with Russian officials to update them on rapidly unfolding developments, according to reports.

Speaking in Al Jazeera’s documentary “Keys of Damascus,” Shaibani said opposition figures engaged directly with Russian representatives amid active fighting to secure the transition period and shape Syria’s future. He noted that communication with Moscow “never stopped,” aiming to neutralize what he described as a “major variable” capable of influencing battlefield dynamics.

Shaibani explained, “The Russian actor was present with us in the operations room, and even before the operations room,” and added that the engagement occurred “in the middle of the fight” to safeguard Syria’s long-term interests. The negotiations sought clarity on the nature of future partnerships in the country, ensuring that key agreements would endure even in critical, rapidly changing moments.

He said pivotal discussions took place on December 6 at the Bab Al-Hawa border crossing with Türkiye, while clashes were still ongoing, noting, “From the setting of the meeting and even the location, you could read the battlefield.” Shaibani concluded, “We met with the Russians hours before the fall of Assad’s regime and briefed them on the developments in the country.”

Russia had been a longstanding ally of the deposed Assad regime and currently maintains two major military bases in Syria.

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