The former leader of Syria, Bashar al-Assad, said that he is not planning to go to Russia

Deposed Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said he had no intention of leaving the country after the fall of Damascus a week ago, but the Russian military evacuated him after his base in western Syria was attacked.

These comments are the first since Assad was ousted by rebel groups. In a statement on his Facebook page, Assad said that he left Damascus on the morning of December 8, hours after the rebels attacked the capital. He said he had gone to a Russian base in Latakia province in coordination with Russian allies, where he planned to continue the fight.

Assad said that after the Russian base was attacked by drones, the Russians decided to transfer it to Russia on the night of December 8.

“As previously stated, I did not leave the country as part of a plan,” Assad said.

The UK-based war monitor said Israeli airstrikes hit missile depots in Syria on Monday morning in what it called the “heaviest strikes” since 2012. air defenses and much of the former Syrian army’s arsenal.

Israeli troops have also seized a buffer zone along the border, and critics have accused Israel of violating a 1974 ceasefire and using the chaos in Syria to seize land.

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Obstacles to the establishment of Syrian relations

Meanwhile, European Union countries on Monday put forward conditions for the lifting of sanctions on Syria and the start of aid amid uncertainty over the intentions of Syria’s new leaders a week after taking power.

At a meeting in Brussels, senior EU diplomats asked members of Syria’s interim government to ensure they are ready for a peaceful political future that includes all minority groups, free of extremism and former allies Russia and Iran.

There have been few reports of repression, revenge killings or sectarian violence since Assad’s ouster. Most looting or destruction was quickly met.

However, the new leadership has not yet revealed a clear idea of ​​how to manage Syria. The interim government was formed by former opposition forces led by the Islamic militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, a former al-Qaeda affiliate of the EU and the US. and Canada considers it a terrorist organization.

The interim government will be in power until March. Arab foreign ministers called for holding elections under the supervision of the UN on the basis of the new constitution. The representative of the UN in Syria pressed for the removal of sanctions.

In order to gain more understanding, the EU is sending an envoy to Damascus to negotiate with those in charge, at least temporarily.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said the bloc wants a “stable, peaceful and comprehensive government in place” but that Syria’s new path is likely to take weeks or months to become clear.

“Syria is facing an optimistic, positive but uncertain future, and we need to make sure it is going in the right direction,” he told reporters at a meeting of EU foreign ministers. “For us, it’s not just words, we want to see action.”

Syria was destroyed by the 50-year rule of the Assad family. Its economy is in ruins, poverty is widespread, inflation and unemployment are high, and corruption permeates everyday life. Millions of people left the country.

Hundreds of thousands of them live in Europe, and while some EU countries have suspended asylum applications for Syrian refugees, for now only those who want to return will be helped to return home.

Since 2015, more than 100,000 Syrian refugees have arrived in Canada.

In 2011, the EU began imposing asset freezes and travel bans on Syrian officials and organizations in response to Assad’s crackdown on civilian protesters, which turned into a civil war. Sanctions were applied to 316 people and 86 institutions accused of supporting Assad.