- First public comments attributed to Assad claim he never planned to leave Syria NPR
- Assad paints himself as ‘custodian’ to Syria as picture unfolds on collapse of Damascus Fox News
- Ousted Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad issues his first statement since leaving the country NBC News
- Syria’s Assad Defends Fleeing to Russia as His Regime Collapsed The Wall Street Journal
- Assad says he didn’t plan to flee Syria, according to presidency Telegram account CNN