Syrian President Bashar Assad, ousted by rebel forces on December 8, reportedly shared classified military information with Israel before fleeing the country, Turkish newspaper Hurriyet reported on Wednesday.
The report, later echoed by global outlets including Britain’s Daily Mail, claims Assad handed over documents detailing the locations of weapons stockpiles, missile launchers and military hangars.
The Hurriyet report claims that Assad received guarantees from Israel to ensure the safety of his escape route in exchange for the intelligence. "Judging by the precision of Israel’s strikes on Syrian military assets following Assad’s fall, it seems Israel received highly accurate information," the report noted.
Turkish commentator Abdulkadir Selvi provided additional details, claiming Assad fled Damascus for Moscow on the morning of December 8. Selvi reported that as opposition forces closed in on Damascus on December 7, a summit took place in Doha involving Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.
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Selvi quoted Fidan describing the situation obliquely: "We met with the Russians and the Iranians in Doha and discussed a few topics. I prefer not to say more."
According to Selvi, Assad’s escape was coordinated from Russia, which arranged his evacuation from the Russian-operated Khmeimim Air Base to Moscow. Selvi also claimed Assad had initially sought refuge in Iran, which refused him, and negotiations with the United Arab Emirates failed, leaving Russia as his only option.
Selvi said a trusted source revealed that Assad provided Israel with detailed maps of Syrian military assets to guarantee Israel would not target his escape route. "Looking at the precision strikes conducted by Israel following Assad’s departure, it bolsters the credibility of this account," Selvi wrote.