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Ousted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his family have reportedly been granted asylum in Moscow after rebels took over the country's capital of Damascus and ended his family's 50-year rule on Saturday (December 7), Russian media reported (h/t the New York Post).
Tass and RIA, both Russian agencies, cited an unidentified Kremlin source who said Assad and his family were granted asylum due to him being a longtime ally and protector of Russia. Syrian insurgents also reportedly guaranteed security of Russian military bases and diplomatic posts in the country, according to RIA.
Assad reportedly fled Syrian early Sunday (December 8) morning as locals celebrated with gunfire in the streets and waving the Syrian revolutionary flag following the end of his family's 50-year dictatorship. The quick change raised questions about Syrian's future and the wider region, with Russia requesting an emergency session of the U.N. Security Council to discuss the ongoing events, the country's first deputy permanent representative to the U.N., Dmitry Polyansky, confirmed in a Telegram post.
The rebel uprising drew comparisons to the early days of the Arab Spring uprising, which led to a brutal crackdown and the rise of an insurgency that resulted in a nearly 14-year civil war. The presidential palace and residence were ransacked during the uprising after Assad and other top Syrian government officials fled the country.