Exiled Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad was reportedly hospitalized in Russia after being poisoned while in hiding near Moscow, a human rights watchdog revealed this week.
According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Assad — a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin — was rushed to an emergency room on September 20 in critical condition. He remained under intensive care for nine days before being released.
The report claims Assad was poisoned inside a heavily guarded villa near Moscow, where he has been living under Russian protection since his ouster. Although his movements are tightly restricted, Assad is said to have received numerous visitors at the residence.
“Whether the poisoning was accidental or deliberate remains unknown,” the report stated. “When Bashar al-Assad was admitted to the hospital, he was in critical condition and treated in a private facility in or near the Moscow suburbs. Only those behind the operation know whether it was an attempt to kill him or to embarrass the Russian government.”
The Observatory noted that Russian authorities have denied involvement, suggesting the incident may have been staged to implicate Moscow and to portray President Putin as unable to safeguard his longtime ally. Russian officials have not issued any public comment on the reports.
Assad fled Syria last December after his regime collapsed under a rebel offensive led by the Islamist faction Hayat Tahrir al-Sham. Despite promising his military that Russian reinforcements were on the way, he and his family escaped Damascus less than a day later, reportedly boarding a flight to Moscow.