Syria's Bashar al-Assad said on Monday he was evacuated to Russia from the Hmeimim base in Syria on the evening of Dec. 8 as it came under drone attacks, after leaving Damascus that morning with opposition fighters closing in.

Ousted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad claimed he had no plans to leave the country after the fall of Damascus but the Russian military evacuated him after their base in western Syria came under attack. The comments are the first by al-Assad since he was overthrown by insurgent groups earlier this month.