Bashar al-Assad, who served as Syria's president from 2000 until 2024, was forced to step down and flee the country after his government collapsed during a major offensive by opposition forces led by the Islamist militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). This offensive culminated in December 2024 with the capture of Damascus by HTS and the declaration of a transitional government dominated by HTS. Assad fled to Russia, where he currently resides in exile under conditions that include abstaining from any media and political activity
. His regime's fall marked the end of 24 years of Assad family rule, following 13 years of brutal civil war that began with Assad's violent crackdown on pro- democracy protests during the Arab Spring. Despite support from Russia, Iran, and Iranian-backed militias, Assad's military collapsed rapidly in the face of the HTS-led offensive. After the regime's fall, Syria has been fragmented among various armed groups, with ongoing violence and humanitarian crises
. The new transitional government has started a national dialogue aimed at drafting a new constitution and has called for the disarmament of non-state armed groups. Meanwhile, the Syrian caretaker and transitional authorities have requested Russia to extradite Assad to Syria to face trial for crimes against humanity related to his crackdown on the revolution, but Russia has refused
. Assad's future in exile is uncertain and precarious, dependent on the support of Russia and its leadership, with experts noting that his long-term prospects do not look promising given the political dynamics in Moscow
