Pencilneckal-Assad
Supressor of the Damascenes...fled to Russia less than two weeks ago, but his escape may have been facilitated by the Israelis in exchange for bombshell information. Literally.
First, though, Assad is enjoying his rest in Moscow, where he and his family have been granted asylum, according to the Russian Foreign Ministry. But not all is well for Assad, despite the protection he now enjoys and the wealth he absconded with.
Hudson Institute's Michael Doran just revealed the terms of Assad's asylum:
- Bashar is strictly prohibited from engaging in political activity or leaving Moscow without prior approval from Russian authorities.
- Asma al-Assad filed for divorce through a Russian court and requested permission to leave Moscow for London; her request is still under review.
- Bashar is barred from accessing or managing his movable and immovable assets until a decision is made by the relevant authorities. His assets in Russia include 270 kilograms of gold, $2 billion, and 18 apartments in the "City of Capitals" complex located in Moscow's prestigious skyscraper district.
- Maher al-Assad has not yet been granted asylum; his request remains under review. He and his family are currently under house arrest.
That third point has got to stick in Assad's throat. He stole that money fair and square, but now Vladimir Putin will take his cut — presumably significant. I'm rather amused that Asma has filed for divorce now that Bashar has lost power. I'm not sure even DOCTOR Jill Biden is so audaciously crass, but I suppose we'll learn for certain next year after Joe hits the bricks.
You might have noticed over the last week or two that the Israeli Air Force has done an almost miraculous job of eliminating much of what's left of Assad's Syrian Arab Army. Syria's air defenses, ammo depots, illicit chemical weapons facilities... they all went boom. Estimates are that the IAF destroyed something like 85% of the SAA's combat power in a matter of days before it could fall into the hands of ISIS or HTS.
I always knew that Mossad had great intel on Syria, but that good, really? And if Israeli intelligence is that good, why didn't the IAF shoot the hated Assad out of the sky as he tried to escape?
Well, according to Open Source Intel, "Middle Eastern media is buzzing with reports citing Turkey’s Hurriyet newspaper that a 'reliable source' revealed Bashar al-Assad provided Israel with a detailed list of weapons depots, missile systems, and warplanes as a guarantee that Israel would not target him during his exit from Syria."
"Israel's subsequent precision strikes on Syrian targets lend credibility to these claims, suggesting the information was genuine and not fabricated."
If true, Israel was able to destroy the military of one of its most implacable enemies, and all it cost was allowing the delivery of that enemy into the tender mercies of Vladimir Putin.
Such a bargain!
Related:
Bashir al-Assad 12/19/2024 US intel wrongly envisioned catastrophic outcomes if IDF escalated against Hezbollah
Bashir al-Assad 12/18/2024 SDF proposes ‘demilitarized zone’ as ceasefire with Turkey extends
Bashir al-Assad 12/18/2024 Iraq denies hosting Maher al-Assad: Ministry
Bashir al-Assad 12/19/2024 US intel wrongly envisioned catastrophic outcomes if IDF escalated against Hezbollah
Bashir al-Assad 12/18/2024 SDF proposes ‘demilitarized zone’ as ceasefire with Turkey extends
Bashir al-Assad 12/18/2024 Iraq denies hosting Maher al-Assad: Ministry