New Crazy Details Surface Of Syria's Collapse, Dictator's Son Breaks Silence

Former Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad's son, Hafez, took to the internet to offer some more stunning details on the regime's fall.

The Assad dynasty collapsed in shocking fashion December 8, 2024 when HTS - a terrorist group led by Mohammad al-Jolani - took control of the Syrian capital, Damascus.

Details have steadily flowed out of the collapse over the past two months, and it's more fascinating than anything Tom Clancy ever cooked up.

How did a regime that clung to power for more than a decade through the world's worst civil war fall in a matter of a few days? The answer to that remains murky, and I have no doubt there will be plenty of great books written.

Bashar al-Assad's son breaks silence on fleeing to Russia.

There have been a lot of different versions of Assad's final hours in power, but there's one thing that seems universally agreed upon:

He disappeared without virtually anyone knowing.

The former Syrian dictator fled into the night under the cover of darkness and still hasn't been seen since making it to Russia. Now, his son Hafez - the likely heir apparent if the regime stayed in power - is explaining how it allegedly went down.

Hafez, a 23-year-old PhD in mathematics, posted on Telegram a lengthy explanation of his family's final moments in Damascus, according to The New Arab. He also posted on X, but his account has since been suspended.

"Over the past 14 years, Syria has gone through circumstances that were no less difficult and dangerous than those it experienced at the end of November and the beginning of last December. Whoever wanted to escape, escaped during it [the war], especially during the early years when Damascus was almost besieged and bombed daily, and the terrorists [rebels] were on its outskirts, and the possibility of their arrival to the heart of the capital was likely throughout that period," wrote in the post explaining his view of the backdrop of the war, according to The New Arab.

Hafez was in Russia defending his doctoral thesis at Moscow State University in late November when he returned to Damascus as HTS fighters surged through the country.

"On Saturday morning, my brother took a mathematics exam at the Higher Institute for Applied Sciences and Technology in Damascus, where he was studying, and he was preparing to return to work the next day, and my sister had booked a ticket to return to Damascus on Syrian Airlines the next day, that is, Sunday. By Saturday afternoon, rumours spread that we had fled outside the country, and a number of people called me to confirm that we were in Damascus," Hafez explained.

The likely future Syrian leader explained there were no plans at any point to flee, until a Russian official urged them to leave Damascus for the Alawite stronghold of Latakia.

Former Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad's son Hafez took to social media to explain how the country fled Damascus in the regime's final hours. (Photo credit should read ALISTAIR GRANT/AFP via Getty Images)

"But there were no preparations or anything else suggestive of our departure [from Damascus] until a Russian official arrived at our house in the Al-Maliki neighbourhood after midnight, that is, on Sunday morning [8 December], and asked the president to move to Latakia for a few days due to the serious situation in Damascus," Bashar al-Assad's son continued, according to the same report.

Hafez claims to have notified family that they were leaving and staffers left for an "unknown location."

He further wrote, "After that, we set off towards Damascus International Airport and arrived there at about three o'clock in the middle of the night, and we met my uncle Maher (al-Assad) there, as the airport was empty of staff, including the control tower, and then we were transported on a Russian military plane to Latakia, where we landed at Hmeimim airport before dawn," according to The New Arab.

That piece of information directly contradicts earlier reports that Bashar al-Assad left without notifying his brother Maher. Assad's older brother was one of Syria's main military leaders and is largely credited with leading the effort to crush dissidents, rebels, civilians, terrorists and anyone opposing the regime. The crackdowns escalated the civil war into a global conflict, drawing in Russia, America, the Kurds, Turkey and ISIS as the country burned down. Maher's location remains unknown. It's believed he's in Russia or Iran. There was also some reporting that he could have crossed into Iraq at some point.

Hafez al-Assad doesn't appear to indicate how the family left from Latakia to Russia, where they remain.

Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria collapsed in early December 2024 after a brutal and bloody civil war. (Photo credit should read LOUAI BESHARA/AFP via Getty Images)

Now, it's important to note that nobody other than the Assads knows the full truth, and while Hafez's version of events matches up with evidence previously known, he also could easily be lying or omitting information. The Assad family shouldn't be trusted - nor should those who replaced the regime. It's an absolute mess of a situation, and it's unclear whether the situation will improve or turn into different factions fighting for territory. What I do know is more and more information will continue to come out about the fall of the Assad regime, and I'll read every bit of it. It's one of the most fascinating foreign affairs topics of the past 20+ years. Let me know at David.Hookstead@outkick.com what you think of the situation!