US President-elect, Donald Trump reacted to the breaking news on Sunday morning that Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad had fled the country after rebels stormed the capital, Damascus.
Trump, expressing his thoughts on the development through a post on his social media platform, Truth Social, declared: “Assad is gone. He has fled his country.”
In his statement, Trump continued to criticize Russia’s involvement in Syria, writing, “Russia, Russia, Russia, led by Vladimir Putin, was no longer interested in protecting Assad.”
He suggested that Russia’s focus had shifted to the ongoing war in Ukraine, where the toll has been severe, with “close to 600,000 Russian soldiers wounded or dead.”
Trump emphasized the unnecessary nature of the war in Ukraine and called for a ceasefire and negotiations, arguing that the ongoing violence in both Ukraine and Syria had resulted in excessive loss of life.
“Russia and Iran are in a weakened state right now, one because of Ukraine and a bad economy, and the other due to Israel’s success in its fighting efforts,” Trump continued.
“Zelenskyy and Ukraine are ready to make a deal and stop the madness. They’ve lost 400,000 soldiers and many civilians. A ceasefire and negotiations must begin immediately.”
As news of Assad’s escape spread, Syrian state television reported that the dictator had fled with his wife, Asma al-Assad, and their three children, but their exact whereabouts were unknown.
A group of men appeared in a video statement on Syrian state TV declaring that Assad had been overthrown and that all prisoners had been released.
The statement urged opposition fighters and citizens to preserve the institutions of a “free Syrian state” and called for unity among the country’s various ethnic and sectarian groups.
In his post, Trump reiterated the gravity of the situation: “Too many lives are being wasted, too many families destroyed,” adding that the situation could spiral into something far worse if not addressed.
He also called on Russia and China to take action to help end the ongoing violence.
Syrian Prime Minister Mohammad Ghazi al-Jalali, speaking earlier on Sunday, confirmed he did not know the location of Assad, deepening the uncertainty surrounding the fate of the Syrian leader.
The situation in Syria remains tense as the country grapples with a new phase in its long-running conflict.
