According to an extensive report published by The Syrian Observer, the final hours of the Assad regime were characterized by deep divisions within the ruling family, frantic evacuations, and a carefully orchestrated handover that saw the Syrian president vanish from Damascus while his brother planned a last stand that would never materialize.
That fateful night, Damascus seemed to hold its breath. The Presidential Palace stood unlit, its corridors echoing with tension as an aging communications system failed to connect even senior regime figures. Bouthaina Shaaban, longtime presidential advisor rumored to be preparing a televised address that never came, repeatedly tried to reach President Assad through a direct line from her residence in the heavily guarded Al-Malki district. She failed to connect, even through his aides. Hours later, she packed her bags and fled the city she had long represented to the world.
A House Divided
Inside the Presidential Palace, the rift between Bashar and his brother Maher al-Assad represented more than a family dispute—it embodied the regime's existential crisis. While Bashar, the embattled president, prepared for a quiet withdrawal coordinated with Moscow, Maher, the de facto commander of the Fourth Division and long considered the regime's "iron fist," rejected what he called a "historic surrender" and demanded they fight to the end.
Sources close to Damascus's security apparatus revealed that Bashar was fully aware of arrangements to hand over the capital, with negotiations with Russia predating the "liberation of Damascus" by weeks. The president had reportedly agreed to all terms of a deal ensuring safe passage for himself and key officers through Russian channels, in exchange for Moscow's commitment to prevent security chaos or swift trials following the regime's collapse.
In those final hours, Brigadier General Suheil al-Hassan, head of the Russian-aligned Tiger Forces, ordered his units to withdraw from southern and southwestern positions without consulting the army's General Command—a move described as a "calculated repositioning" conducted beyond Maher's knowledge.
The confrontation between the brothers reached its peak the evening before the capital's fall. As Bashar coordinated exit details with Russian liaison officers, Maher demanded a "general mobilization" and a televised call for resistance to the last breath. The dispute escalated into a sharp verbal confrontation, ending with Maher storming out in fury while Bashar departed in heavy silence, aware the game was over.
The Orchestrated Escape
Three armored SUVs left the Presidential Palace that night, heading toward the airport road under escort by a small Russian unit. Security sources confirmed that a senior Russian official arrived at the palace to personally accompany the ousted president in a tightly controlled convoy under unprecedented secrecy.
Yet accounts of Bashar's escape diverged. Sources close to the Republican Guard claimed he departed from Damascus International Airport on a private Russian plane. A second account, obtained from a former security official, suggested he traveled by land to Latakia in a Russian armored vehicle, accompanied by special forces, his children, and a handful of aides.
Across the capital, chaos intensified within security compounds. Senior officers received contradictory orders: the head of Air Force Intelligence was told "the leadership is relocating to an alternate site," while the defense minister received a message insisting "the president remains in the palace." The interior minister vanished after a late-night city tour, leaving his ministry leaderless without explanation.
Meanwhile, two military aircraft were readied at Hmeimim Airbase to transport senior officers and their families to undisclosed destinations. Field sources reported a mass exodus beginning between 1 and 2 a.m., described by one officer as "a silent unraveling of a regime collapsing from within."
Dozens of luxury vehicles fled the capital laden with officers' families and valuables, while others sought refuge at the Russian embassy in Al-Mazzeh. Russian forces opened their gates to senior security and military officials, allowing passage to Hmeimim, where hundreds gathered awaiting Russian transport planes to ferry them abroad.
Maher's Last Stand That Never Was
Major General Maher al-Assad spent his final hours in Damascus orchestrating his own exit, independent of collapsing official channels. From a fortified villa, he gathered loyal businessmen and influential economic figures, urging them to join his "organized withdrawal" to Homs.
Field sources indicated that Maher planned to regroup Fourth Division forces in western Homs, hoping to form an "alternate defense line" as a bargaining chip. But battlefield reality proved harsher than he envisioned. Roads to the north were severed by advancing opposition factions, and units he believed remained under his command had either withdrawn or abandoned their posts without coordination.
As dawn approached, communications with the General Command ceased, and reports confirmed the Republican Guard had been ordered not to engage. Realizing the battle was lost, Maher boarded a small military helicopter headed east—likely toward a Syrian desert region—leaving behind a leaderless army and paralyzed security apparatus.
The Russian-Rebel Understanding
Days later, details emerged revealing that Russians had been in direct contact with opposition field commanders hours before the capital's fall. An unpublicized agreement reached in Hama as rebel lines neared the Damascus highway allowed opposition forces to enter Damascus without major battles in exchange for safe passage for Assad and his entourage through Russian channels.
The Interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa later confirmed in a televised interview that "negotiations occurred between the Russians and the rebels before the regime's fall," with the primary goal of "avoiding a bloody urban battle." This transformed the notion of a "tactical withdrawal" into documented political reality: the regime was not only defeated militarily but handed over through a prearranged deal.
After the Fall
In Moscow, Bashar al-Assad vanished from public view. Russian authorities granted him humanitarian asylum and arranged a temporary residence under tight security, far from media scrutiny. Maher reportedly settled in a quiet Moscow suburb with former officers. Neither issued statements, but their silence spoke volumes.
Damascus awoke to an unprecedented political and security vacuum. No battles, no artillery, no flags raised over government buildings—just vast emptiness. Abandoned checkpoints bore traces of hurried retreat, while in the old quarters, whispers and rumors swirled as residents attempted to comprehend the incomprehensible.
The night of the fall was a moment of deferred reckonings—between brothers, agencies, and backers. Each thought they were saving themselves, only to lose everything. The Russians emerged with minimal losses, the rebels entered a city without war, and the family that built a wall of fear over five decades departed under the protection of those who had enabled its dominance for so long.