Russia Pushed Assad to Flee Syria

As Syrian opposition forces advanced toward the capital Damascus, the Kremlin moved to save its ally President Bashar al-Assad. Russia was unable to prop up the regime any longer but persuaded Assad that he would lose the fight against armed groups led by the former al-Qaeda offshoot HTS and offered him and his family safe passage if he left immediately. Russian intelligence agents organized the escape, flying Assad out via its air base in Syria. Within hours of his departure, the militants swept unopposed into Damascus, ending the Assad-family’s dynasty of more than half a century. Russia, fearful for the future of its two key military bases in Syria, is putting on a brave face after officials were caught by surprise at the speed of events. Meanwhile in Iran, officials have sought to play down the significance of the end of the Assad regime but the Islamic Republic has lost one of last men standing in its so-called Axis of Resistance. Iran is scrambling to figure out how to respond with questions over the vulnerability of its leadership. While Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has been defiant, with Turkey, Israel, Russia and western powers all seeking to assert their interests, it’s unclear whether Iran will have any influence now over its once most steadfast ally.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz filed a petition with the lower house of parliament requesting a confidence vote next Monday that will trigger a snap election in late February. Scholz surrendered his Bundestag majority last month when he sacked Finance Minister Christian Lindner of the Free Democrats due to a budget dispute, pulling the plug on his three-party governing coalition. The Social Democrat, who has run Europe’s biggest economy since late 2021, is exploiting a quirk of the constitution to force a national ballot on Feb. 23, seven months earlier than the scheduled end of his term.