Moscow:

A senior Russian official told US broadcaster NBC on Tuesday that deposed Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad is being hosted in Russia, in the government’s first confirmation of the situation.

Russia transported Assad there “in the most secure way possible” amid the collapse of his government in the face of a rebel takeover, deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov said.

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Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was on Sunday forced to flee the country after rebels seized the capital Damascus, ending his 24-year rule. As the news broke about the rebels entering Damascus, speculation grew about the whereabouts of the 59-year-old leader, who had for years taken help from his allies like Russia, Iran and Lebanon’s Hezbollah to maintain his power.

Initially, there were reports that he had boarded a plane early on Sunday in Damascus for an unknown destination. The news agency Reuters reported that a Syrian airplane took off from Damascus airport around the time the capital was reported to have been taken by rebels.

The aircraft initially flew towards Syria’s coastal region, a stronghold of Assad’s Alawite sect and home to two key Russian military bases, but then made an abrupt U-turn and flew in the opposite direction for a few minutes before disappearing off the map.

READ | Bashar Al-Assad Out, Rebels Take Over: What Next For Syria And Its People

Citing two Syrian sources, Reuters said the sudden change in course and disappearance of the plane from tracking could indicate it had been shot down, or that it had switched off its transponder. It was not clear who was on board.

However, after over 12 hours of speculation, it was reported that Assad is in Moscow with his family and that Russia has granted them asylum on humanitarian grounds.

“Breaking news! Bashar al-Assad and his family in Moscow. Russia does not betray friends in difficult situations,” Mikhail Ulyanov, Russia’s ambassador to international organisations in Vienna, said on his Telegram messaging channel.

Last week, Assad’s allies Iran and Russia had also asked their citizens to leave Syria, citing the deteriorating security situation.

Bashar al-Assad’s government fell 11 days after the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group challenged more than five decades of his family rule with a lightning offensive.

READ | Syrian Rebels Failed For 13 Years. How They Beat Assad Regime In 13 Days

The rebels began their operation on November 27, the same day a ceasefire took place in neighbouring Lebanon between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah members, and soon went on to seize key cities of Aleppo and Hama. They then took control of Damascus on Sunday to put an end to the Assad regime.