After negotiations with the new Syrian leadership, Russia withdrew at least 400 soldiers from the Damascus region. A representative of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham said that negotiations are underway to evacuate more soldiers across Syria.

The rapid downfall of Syrian leader Bashar Assad has touched off a new round of delicate geopolitical maneuvering between Russia’s Vladimir Putin and Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Any blame, therefore, is put on Syria. On Sunday Evening with Solovyov, for example, presenter Vladimir Solovyov praised the Russian military, who he claimed had previously "ensured victory" for Bashar al Assad. Ultimately, however, the mission failed. The simple fact is - their man in Damascus is now in Moscow.

Russia has evacuated some staff from its diplomatic missions in Damascus, as well as personnel from the embassies of Belarus, North Korea, and Abkhazia, according to the Foreign Ministry’s Crisis Management Center.

Iran says its embassy in Damascus was attacked by a group of gunmen, as Russia says Bashar Assad has stepped down and left the country.

"Russia and Iran are in a weakened state right now, one because of Ukraine and a bad economy, the other because of Israel and its fighting success." Image: Mr Assad and Mr Putin in Moscow in July 2024. Pic: AP Israeli airstrikes hit Damascus, according to ...

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 after their base in western Syria came under attack.

As many in Syria celebrated the end of the long rule of Bashar al-Assad, rumors swirled about his whereabouts. After a day of intrigue, the mystery was solved when Russian state media announced he had landed in Moscow.

In a post on the official Facebook page of the Syrian presidency, Assad said he was releasing the statement to address "misinformation and narratives far removed from the truth" in the wake of his overthrow.

Russia's Foreign Ministry said on Monday it was up to Syrians to determine their own future and called for an "inclusive" government taking account of the country's diverse ethnic and religious interests.

Assad has fled to Moscow, Iran has withdrawn from Syria and abandoned its mercenaries, and Russia’s remaining soldiers are isolated in the Assadist strongholds of Latakia and Tartus — where its