Reuters: The final hours of Bashar al Assad in Syria

Reuters said in a report, Friday that Bashar al Assad didn’t inform any of his relatives or aides of his plan to head to Moscow as his rule collapsed, and relied on deception and concealment to plan his exit from Syria.

His aides, close officials and even relatives were deceived or misled, according to more than a dozen people familiar with the events.

Hours before heading to Moscow, Assad told a meeting of about 30 military and security commanders at the Defense Ministry on Saturday that military support was on the way and urged ground forces to stand firm, according to a commander who was present and asked not to be identified to discuss the briefing.

There are no civilian employees were aware of Assad’s plans to escape.

According to Reuters, Assad told his presidential office manager on Saturday when he finished work that he would return home, but instead he headed to the airport, according to an aide in his inner circle.

Assad called his media advisor, Buthaina Shaaban, and asked her to come to his house to write him a letter, according to her, and when she arrived, she didn’t find anyone there.

In the same context, she revealed that Bashar al Assad didn’t even inform his younger brother Maher of his exit plan, according to three resources.

According to Reuters, who interviewed 14 people familiar with Assad’s last days revealed that he was looking for foreign help before relying on deception and disguise to plan his exit from Syria in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Most of the sources, who include aides to the former president’s inner circle, regional diplomats, security sources and senior Iranian officials, asked not to be named to discuss sensitive matters freely.