Bashar al-Assad, the deposed Syrian ruler living in exile, was reportedly hospitalized in Russia after being poisoned, according to a human rights monitoring group.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights revealed that al-Assad, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, was rushed to an intensive care unit on September 20 in critical condition. After receiving treatment, he was discharged nine days later, the group said in its report released Thursday.
According to the watchdog, al-Assad fell ill while residing in a secure villa located near Moscow, where Russian authorities are said to maintain a heavy security presence around his residence.
Although his movements are reportedly limited, al-Assad has continued to receive numerous visitors at the villa, the report noted.
“Whether the poisoning was a result of confusion or more, no one knows,” reads the report. “When Bashar al-Assad was admitted to the hospital, he was admitted in an emergency room and in critical condition in intensive care in a private hospital in or near the Moscow suburbs.”
“Only the party that carried out the operation knows whether it was to kill Bashar al-Assad or to embarrass the Russian government,” the report adds.
Citing anonymous sources, the watchdog said that Russian officials were not involved in the incident, suggesting instead that “it may have been intended to implicate the Russian government,” and to portray “that President Putin is incapable of protecting him.”
Moscow has not issued any official response regarding the claims.
Al-Assad was overthrown last December after the Islamist militant faction Hayat Tahrir al-Sham captured Damascus and forced his regime from power.
As rebel forces closed in, al-Assad reportedly told his generals that reinforcements from Russia were on their way.
Less than a day later, he fled the Syrian capital with his wife and three children aboard a flight bound for Moscow.
{Matzav.com}
