Assad claims he was ordered to leave Damascus for Moscow

No one believes Bashar al-Assad when he says he had no choice but to leave Syria and seek safety in Moscow. He says he was told to leave by his Russian protectors. It makes it sound like he was extremely reluctant to leave and preferred to stay behind to "save" his country from the approaching Islamic militia. The mere fact that he was, at the time of the overrrun of Damascus by the HTS rebel forces, sitting safely at the Russian base at Khmeimim in Latakia province in the south, with his family and bags packed (and millions of dollars switched to his account in Moscow) tells you that he went there, presumably by helicopter, to be ready to depart at a moment's notice. He was never going to do his duty,as he called it, and stay to fight another day. His troops had faded away, unwilling to defend Damascus from Mohammed al-Jolani's assault on the capital. So as soon as Assad got word that his previously trusted security forces had had enough of saving his skin, he hopped on a plane and left for exile in Russia where, presumably, he will live for the rest of his days. No heroic last stand for him. He already has property in Moscow and his friend, Putin, will I am sure protect him with armed bodygvuards while he settles into luxurious living in Moscow. He will never, one hopes, return to Syria.