Assad took off from Damascus, but the plane later disappeared from radar – report | 8 Dec 2024 | Two senior Syrian officers told Reuters that President Bashar al-Assad had left Damascus for an unknown destination. According to reports in Syria, Assad’s plane took off from the country shortly after the rebels took over the capital, but the plane later disappeared from radar and at this point it is unclear what happened to it. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition organization based in London, told the AFP news agency that the Syrian army and security forces had withdrawn from Damascus International Airport following the rebels’ terrorists’ advance toward the capital.