- Bashar al-Assad releases first statement since fleeing to Russia BBC.com
- Ousted Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad issues his first statement since leaving the country NBC News
- Syria Live Updates: Al-Assad Wanted to Stay and Fight Rebels, Statement Says The New York Times
- Assad says he didn’t plan to flee Syria, according to presidency Telegram account CNN
- Assad claims he wished to keep fighting as Syrian regime fell but Russians evacuated him – Middle East crisis live The Guardian