Claims about an alleged poisoning attempt on former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Moscow have surfaced, adding to a long history of unproven stories about the exiled leader’s safety and wellbeing.
The Telegram channel General SVR wrote that Assad needed urgent medical care on Sunday after experiencing severe breathing problems and violent coughing in his Moscow flat. Medical staff found toxic substances in Assad’s blood tests, the channel claims, though it provided no evidence to support these assertions.
The channel added that after Assad complained of breathing troubles, his condition worsened rapidly. “Almost immediately after the request, he started coughing violently and began choking,” the post said. Allegedly, Russian officials ordered that Assad be treated in his flat rather than be moved to a hospital.
Source of the Story
A former senior Russian spy allegedly runs General SVR, a social media channel known for spreading sensational but unsubstantiated claims about Russia’s leadership.
Previously, the channel claimed that President Vladimir Putin died in October 2023. Ukrainian intelligence argues that such narratives are often crafted to test public reactions to various scenarios.
History of False Assassination Reports
Assad’s reported poisoning comes three weeks after his hasty departure from Syria, where rebel forces ended his family’s five-decade rule. The former leader fled to Moscow on the 8th of December under Vladimir Putin’s protection, bringing with him a reported £2 billion in assets.
The poisoning story fits a pattern of dramatic but unfounded claims about threats to Assad’s life. In 2016, Syrian state media called reports of an assassination attempt “completely false” after hackers posted the fabricated story on their website.
Six years later, Iranian news outlets falsely reported Assad survived an attack during Eid prayers, a story Syrian officials quickly denied.
Assad’s Inner Circle Crumbles
The new allegations emerge as Assad’s inner circle shows signs of crumbling.
Police caught the wife and daughter of one of the former president’s cousins, Duraid Assad, at Beirut airport trying to flee using forged passports. His uncle Rifaat Assad, known as the “Butcher of Hama” and wanted for war crimes, managed to escape to Dubai.
Assad’s wife Asma faces her own troubles. Her expired British passport blocks any return to Britain for medical care. The 49-year-old London-born former first lady battles acute myeloid leukaemia, adding ‘personal tragedy’ to political exile.
Associates of Assad face further blows back home. The new ruling authorities have started rounding up regime officials. Security forces arrested nearly 300 people last week, including informants, former soldiers, and Mohammed Kanjo Hassan, the ex-head of military courts accused of overseeing thousands of deaths at Damascus’s notorious Sednaya prison.
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