MOSCOW (Sputnik) – According to the official, quoted by Lebanon's Al Mayadeen broadcaster, the offer was extended by Qasem Soleimani, the commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards' foreign operations wing. Assad reportedly motivated his refusal to flee the state saying that his family is no different from “any Syrian family and they will remain in Damascus.”
Syria has been in a state of civil war since 2011, with forces loyal to Assad fighting several opposition factions and extremist groups. Unlike the West, supporting the so-called Syrian moderate opposition, Tehran and Moscow maintain that the Syrian president is the legitimate authority in the country.
